The Turning Point
by bassistsunited
Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged that Sakura's realisation of her burden to Team 7 occurred during the Chunin exams. But what if she'd come to this conclusion a little earlier? How would this change the outcome of everything? SakuraCentric
1. Initial Realization

_[Disclaimer: This story uses dialogue and events from the original Naruto manga and anime series. It is a retelling of sorts from the perspective of Sakura Haruno with changes to events and additional scenes. All rights to the creators of Naruto etc.]_

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Sakura had never thought of herself as anything but a true ninja and as she stood in front of her mirror putting the the finishing touches to her hair, it was obvious nothing could be farther from the truth. Interestingly enough today was her first day as a fully-fledged Genin however her objectives weren't as ambitious as one would assume.<p>

Sasuke Uchiha was the objective.

Sakura knew it would be a challenge and she had many rivals to compete with, but she was a believer in happy endings. In her own mind there was no contest between herself and the other girls (which was almost every girl in the academy) because her intentions were pure. Sakura did make it through the academy partly due to her impressive chakra control and ability to retain information. But when it came to jutsu and combat she had barely been able to keep up.

Instead of extra training to enhance her physical abilities, Sakura preferred to take care of her long cherry pink hair because it was rumored that Sasuke liked girls with long hair. It was almost stupid to think she'd do anything to her personality and appearance just so a boy she'd never said a word to would respond to her continuing efforts to win his affection. Sakura quickly banished that thought and with a final wink and some urging from her mother she left the house.

"See you later" A voice called out from one of the houses along the main road.

Sakura looked up to see her number one rival Ino Yamanka glaring at her. Sakura gritted her teeth Ino had always been the stronger out of the two of them during their childhood, but Sakura was determined not to live in Ino's shadow anymore.

"Good morning Sakura" Ino said with blatant smugness in her voice.

"Good morning Ino" Sakura replied in the same tone.

Sakura continued on her way walking straight past Ino who fell into step with her.

"So they actually let you graduate, what a surprise!" Ino said trying her best to rile Sakura up.

But Sakura tried to take the high road and knew Sasuke would prefer a more mature girl who didn't get caught up in petty arguments.

"Those classes are ancient history, we're both ninja now and we're both equal. I won't lose to you anymore" Sakura vowed and began to increase her speed which Ino matched easily.

The pink haired teen tried to get ahead once more but Ino caught up to her, Sakura tried again and walked faster but Ino was right next to her equally as determined.

**"Screw this!"** Inner Sakura yelled and Sakura started running with Ino right by her side going just as fast. The two girls took off at remarkable speed and left a cloud of dust in their wake.

* * *

><p>A stampede of wild horses couldn't match the noise Sakura and Ino were making as they thundered down the academy hall way. Sakura felt Ino shoving into her shoulder and she shoved back just as hard. The class room door was in their sights and both girls crashed though, it pushing and shoving each other.<p>

"I'm first!" They both yelled with their arms stretched out to prevent the other from going any further, then bending slightly and panting heavily.

"I win again Sakura!" Ino exclaimed whist glaring at the pink haired girl.

"Give it up! I had to look back to see you my toe was at least a tenth of an inch ahead!" Sakura replied before standing up and surveying the room.

Sakura was looking for one particular person when she saw Naruto his face a dark red and wearing a ninja headband.

How the hell did he become a ninja? she thought and continued to look at Naruto before recognizing the familiar black spiky hairstyle next to him.

"Sasuke! I have to get a seat next to him before Ino and the other girls try to!" Sakura began to run towards Sasuke and stopped in front of his desk.

"Hi Sakura! What's up?" Naruto called out with his hand in the air waving at her. He was in her seat next to Sasuke!

"Move it!" Sakura yelled and gave Naruto and almighty shove causing him to fall to the ground.

"Uh good morning Sasuke" Sakura felt the blood rush to her cheeks as Sasuke glanced up from the desk and looked at her.

Reading Sasuke was hard he never showed any emotion and kept to himself, his too cool attitude was one of the things Sakura loved most about him.

"Mind if I sit next to you?" Sakura asked looking at Sasuke expectantly.

"Back off Forehead! I'm sitting next to Sasuke" Ino said angrily. Sakura glared at her rival who was pulling on her arm.

"I was here first" Sakura growled at Ino and tried to shake her arm loose.

"I walked into the classroom before you did, everybody saw it!" Ino argued back. Sakura almost let out a hiss.

Ino just wouldn't give up and all the while the empty seat next to Sasuke was free for anyone to take.

"Dream on" Sakura said getting frustrated.

"Actually I got here before either of you" Sakura turned to see one of the girls from the academy approaching her.

"So did I, I'm sitting next to Sasuke" Some other girl echoed

Sakura sighed; now she'd drawn out all of Sasuke's admirers.

"No I am" Another girl spoke up.

Sakura looked at Sasuke who appeared very annoyed with his eyes closed and chin resting on his hands, thanks to Ino-Pig and these selfish girls she'd never get a chance to spend time with Sasuke.

Suddenly the room fell silent and the pink haired ninja stood in shock watching as Naruto squatted on the desk in front of Sasuke, inches away from his face glaring at him. Anger flared within Sakura, Naruto didn't deserve to be within two meters of Sasuke. He could never compete with him!

"Naruto! Hey stop glaring at Sasuke!" Sakura yelled out, eyes blazing.

Naruto continued to stare at Sasuke and Sakura could tell Naruto was making him angry. She and the other girls rallied behind Sasuke and encouraged him to beat Naruto up, although they were all vying for Sasuke's attention there was no way they were going to let someone like Naruto that close to him.

"Sorry did I bump you?"

The unthinkable happened; Sakura saw it as if it were in slow motion. Somebody from the desk in front hit Naruto causing him to bump into Sasuke, resulting in them kissing.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH" Sakura let out a huge shriek.

** "WHAT THE HELL?!"** Inner Sakura yelled preparing to give someone a major beatdown. Immediately both boys jumped apart, clutching at their throats as if they were choking.

"I'll get you Naruto" Sasuke vowed.

Sakura had regained her senses and was furious; she was going to beat the living hell out of Naruto. At that exact moment Naruto turned around to find all of Sasuke's fan girls ready to kill him.

"Naruto, you are so dead" Sakura stated.

"Hey whoa it was an accident" Naruto pleaded but Sakura wasn't having any of it. A deadly look came over her face as she cracked her knuckles.

"You're finished"

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><p>"As of today you are ninjas, together you face difficult trials and hardships. But that's nothing, what comes next will be far more difficult. Now you are only Genin, first level ninjas, all the Genin will be grouped into three man squads. Each squad will be led by a Jounin, an elite ninja" Iruka addressed the class.<p>

Sakura was still very much angry with Naruto for stealing **HER** first kiss with Sasuke, but he had sustained some pretty spectacular bruising and she was pleased. She wasn't really paying much attention to Iruka's lecture however her mind whirled into action when she heard the words 'three man squads'.

"Well someone's gotta be in Sasuke's group, I wonder who" Ino asked Sakura from the desk behind.

"I don't know" Sakura replied, she was beyond annoyed with Ino. It was because of her that all of those other girls demanded to sit next to Sasuke, why even indirectly it was Ino's fault that Sasuke's first kiss was with Naruto.

**"Cha! I'm going to be with Sasuke so stay away from him you hag!"** Inner Sakura yelled, fire blazing around her.

Sakura hated the idea of another girl getting to be on the same squad as Sasuke. Sakura didn't really care who the third person was in her team, just as long as it wasn't a potential rival for Sasuke or that idiot Naruto.

"We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities so that's how we set them up. I will now announce the squads" Sakura listened carefully to Iruka as he called out the teams, eventually there were only a few students that still hadn't been assigned squads. Sakura was thankful that neither she nor Sasuke had been put on a squad… although neither had Ino.

"Squad 7: Naruto Uzumaki"

Sakura looked to her left and watched as Naruto began grinning like a maniac. Sakura prayed her name wouldn't be called next.

"Sakura Haruno"

Naruto stood up and cheered, Sakura banged her large forehead on the desk and it was all over. Ino was going to be on Sasuke's squad, her dream of becoming Mrs Sakura Uchiha was as good as over. She was stuck on a team with Naruto and life just wasn't worth living. She waited to hear the last person who would be joining her in hell.

"And finally, Sasuke Uchiha"

"YES!" Sakura yelled loudly and stood up whilst Naruto rested his head on the desk in defeat.

Sasuke sat unmoving through the entire announcement Sakura noticed, somehow she got the feeling he wasn't too pleased about three man squads but she didn't care! She was on a team with Sasuke the most attractive and talented boy in the whole academy, he was all hers!

Iruka continued to read out the squad listings as Sakura turned to Ino and flashed the peace sign arrogantly.

Ino growled and clenched her fists. "How did you get in his group?"

**"Ka-ching! True love conquers all" **Inner Sakura said victoriously.

Sakura smirked as Iruka announced that Ino would be with the lazy kid Shikamaru and the fat boy Choji who'd probably eat his own head if it were humanly possible. This was just adding to Sakura's elation not only was she on a team with Sasuke but Ino-pig was suffering; it was pure bliss.

"Those are all the squads" Iruka said as he finished reading the list. Sakura couldn't stop smiling and was eager to get started so she could spend as much time with Sasuke as possible.

"Iruka-sensei, why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke?" Naruto demanded.

Of course she had almost forgotten Naruto was on her team. Sakura's eyes flashed as she glared at Naruto, he steals her first kiss with Sasuke then he has the audacity to call him a slug! Sakura readied herself to give Naruto another beat down when Iruka-sensei spoke.

"Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto you had the worst scores, to create a balanced group we put the best student with the worst student" Iruka sighed.

Sakura smirked, Naruto deserved to be put in his place by Iruka. Imagine him thinking he was better than Sasuke! Personally Sakura felt Naruto should be honoured to be on Sasuke's team; after all he was the top student.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser" Sasuke said which made Naruto even more obnoxious and loud.

"Hey what did you say?" Naruto asked angrily. Sakura was starting to get pissed off.

"Hard of hearing?" Sasuke asked which made the whole class laugh.

"Knock it off Naruto, sit down!" Sakura lectured, he was embarrassing herself and Sasuke with his stupid comments.

Iruka-sensei cleared his throat and continued on; "After lunch you'll meet your new Jounin teachers until then class dismissed"

* * *

><p>"Sasuke where are you?" Sakura called out.<p>

Why did he go running off so fast? Since we're in the same group and all I thought we could have lunch together and get to know each other Sakura thought.

This was not the way she wanted things to go. How was she supposed to spend time with Sasuke if he was nowhere to be found?

"Hey Sakura! Since we're in the same group I was thinking we could have lunch together and get to know each other" A voice called out from behind her.

Sakura growled, it was that huge headache Naruto again!

She didn't want to have lunch with him; she wanted to have lunch with Sasuke! He was just a necessity to make up the three person squad; as far as Sakura was concerned she and Sasuke could have managed just fine together.

"Why would I eat lunch with you? How could that thought even cross your mind?" Sakura asked annoyed, here she was talking to this idiot when the precious time she could be spending eating lunch with Sasuke was ticking away.

"But we're in the same group so you know I just thought…" Naruto trailed off, a little nervously.

"Naruto, you're annoying!" Sakura spat viciously before turning around and continuing down the path calling out Sasuke's name.

A while later Sakura found herself eating lunch alone, she closed her bento box and sighed.

Well it's not like there's a big rush or anything. I'll be in the same group as Sasuke for a long time. But still… Sakura sighed again and rested her chin on her hands.

Suddenly Sakura looked up to see Sasuke leaning against a tree directly opposite from her. Her mood shot up instantly and she could feel herself blushing.

Sasuke, he's looking right at me. That look in his eyes, Sakura thought imagining herself and Sasuke together. She snapped out of her fantasy and closed her eyes in defeat.

"Grow up Sakura. That's just a fairy tale and fairy tales don't come true" Muttering to herself, the pink haired teen looked at the ground.

"Sakura your forehead is so wide and charming" Sakura looked up to see Sasuke standing in front of her. "It makes me feel like kissing it" Sasuke said smiling at her.

Sakura was shell shocked; all she could do was stare at her long time crush, her face flushed. **"Cha! She scores. This fairy tale is for real!**" Inner Sakura said having a party inside her head.

"Just kidding, that's the kind of dumb thing that Naruto would say" Sasuke said.

"Ergh" Sakura huffed out; Naruto was at the root of all her problems today.

"I want to ask you something" Sasuke said taking a seat a few meters away from her on the bench.

Sakura was shocked, this was such a sudden turn of events from the boy who never paid her any attention and showed no emotion. She was immediately suspicious but kept her comments to herself.

"Naruto, what do you think of him?"

Sakura looked at the ground for a few minutes before answering Sasuke.

"He knows about my feelings and he purposely tries to get in the way. He enjoys interfering and making me feel bad. Naruto; he doesn't understand one single thing about me. He's just annoying. A-all I really want is for you to accept me Sasuke, that's all" She stated nervously.

"Y-you just want me to accept you?"

Sakura looked up; she'd never heard Sasuke stutter before. Perhaps he was just nervous.

"Yes that's how I feel" she replied blushing. "I-I'd do anything for that"

Sakura pursed her lips and lent towards Sasuke. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest.

It's true I'm desperate" Sakura said inching her face closer to Sasuke who began to lean in as well.

It was then that Sakura opened her eyes and saw it. A flash of blue in Sasuke's normally dark onyx eyes and it was then that she knew.

This was not Sasuke.

Sakura might have been infatuated to the point of obsession but she wasn't stupid.

She didn't come top of her class in chakra identification and control for nothing. After years of follow Sasuke home at a safe distance in the academy Sakura had recognised his chakra signal. It was normally subdued mixed with a dark aura around it; this chakra however was light and carefree. Almost airy. Like a certain airhead blonde ninja.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed and threw an impressive punch to the face sending him back a few meters

"GAHHHH!" Naruto-as-Sasuke screamed and landed face down in the concrete, Sakura growled and stalked towards him. Inner Sakura was screaming obscenities and threatening bloodshed. There was a poof and white smoke before Sasuke was gone and replaced with a very beaten up Naruto.

"Uh um Sakura-chan. I can explain see uh I"

Sakura grabbed Naruto by his collar and hoisted him up so he was face to face with her.

"First you steal my first kiss with Sasuke, then I get stuck with you on my squad and now you impersonated Sasuke and tried to kiss me! I'M. GOING. TO. KILL. YOU." She screamed and raised her fist to punch him when there was a gurgling sound.

"THE EXPIRED MILK. IT'S GONNA BLOW!" Naruto yelled and Sakura dropped him on the ground before he ran off in the direction of the toilets.

Sakura sighed and clenched her fists as she sat back down on the bench. This was the worst day ever no thanks to Naruto. Sakura couldn't help but wonder where the real Sasuke was.

Suddenly she saw Sasuke walking towards her; she knew it couldn't be Naruto because his chakra contained that slightly scary but familiar dark aura. Plus Naruto was probably still giving the toilets a work out.

"Uh um hi Sasuke" Sakura said blushing. Sasuke didn't even spare her a glance and kept on walking past her.

"Hey wait a minute!" Sakura called out.

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked, looking at her slightly.

"Naruto just picks fights with you. You know why he's so annoying? Because he wasn't raised right. He doesn't have a mother or father, no one to teach him right from wrong. Think about it! He just does whatever comes into his head; if I did things like Naruto forget it! I mean my parents would get mad and I'd get in trouble so of course I don't do it. But if you don't have parents to tell you how will you know. He's selfish and bratty, all alone." Sakura ranted, satisfied with her response,, believing that Sasuke would agree with her.

"Alone. Isolated. It's not about your parents scolding you. You have no idea what it means to be alone" Sasuke said coldly.

"W-why are you saying that?" Sakura asked, her voice bordering on hysterical.

"Because you're annoying" Sasuke said glaring at her before walking away.

Sakura stood rooted to the spot playing his voice over and over inside her head. She sat down in an attempt to think things through. I'm annoying. That's what he said Sakura thought Now I get it, this is how Naruto must feel

Sakura stood up. "I shouldn't treat him like that even though he did impersonate Sasuke and try to kiss me. Next time I see him I'm going to be nice" she declared aloud.

Sakura looked up to see Naruto moaning and clutching his stomach. "Naruto" Sakura sighed and her face automatically formed a frown.

"Smile, smile" she told herself through gritted teeth while her eye twitched uncontrollably. She waved at the blonde boy, plastered on her best fake smile and called out.

"Hey Naruto let's walk back to class together!"

Sakura watched as Naruto had some sort of internal conflict and his hands went to create a jutsu before his stomach made another gurgling noise and Naruto took off for the toilets again. Sakura growled but tried to keep her cool remembering what Sasuke had said.

That must have been some really out of date milk she thought as she walked back to class alone.

* * *

><p>"He's late" Naruto said stating the obvious as he stuck his head outside the classroom door looking up and down the hallway.<p>

Sakura sighed; it was getting to be the most difficult task in the world to be patient with Naruto especially when Inner Sakura continued to assure her he deserved a good beating.

She, Sasuke and Naruto were the only ones left in the class. Sasuke was sitting at a desk with his fingers meshed together under his chin, elbows propped up on the table. Sakura had situated herself a few meters from him, leaning against one of the desks and she was fed up.

"Naruto just sit down!" she said in an annoyed voice. **"DAMN IT! If he doesn't sit down willingly we're going to make him sit down!"** Inner Sakura roared.

"I don't want to. How come our teacher's the only one that's late? I'm ready to roll, believe it! The other groups already met their new teachers and took off on some adventure or something and Iruka-sensei is gone too!" Naruto replied.

"We know okay" Sakura said closing her eyes, her patience wearing thin, after the verbal beating she'd taken from Sasuke and all the annoyance and confusion of this morning she was ready to either pass out or kill Naruto.

Sakura heard something being shifted and looked up to see Naruto standing on top of a table wedging a blackboard eraser in the doorway. Sakura sighed, if she was feeling up to it she'd normally lecture him but at this point she couldn't care. She simply watched and waited for the worst to happen.

"Our teacher's a Jounin and elite ninja. You think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke said.

Sakura spied a hand wrapped around the door and everyone in the room watched in silence as the eraser fell onto the head of Kakashi Hatake. It was a tense moment before Naruto burst out laughing and pointed at the silver haired man.

"HAHAHAHA! I got him, he totally fell for it!" Naruto yelled and laughed harder. Sakura was about to apologise but simply sighed, Naruto would get what was coming to him eventually. Sasuke looked concerned that the elite Jounin had fallen for such a basic and obvious trick.

"Hmm how can I put this? My first impression of this group, you're a bunch of idiots" The man responded in a calm voice.

Sakura twitched, she was no idiot, Naruto was the moron who did the stupid trick. She added that to the list of today's disappointments caused by Naruto in her head. Kakashi then led them out of the academy and to some stairs on top of a building that overlooked the village.

"Alright why don't you introduce yourselves? One at a time" He asked midly.

"Introduce ourselves? Well what are we supposed to say?" Sakura asked.

At least now Sasuke would be forced to share something about his life and Sakura would store it away in a file in her brain marked Sasuke Uchiha which was bursting at the seams.

"Things you like things you hate. Dreams for the future, hobbies. Things like that" Kakashi responded. Sakura nodded already knowing what she was going to say.

"Why don't you tell us stuff first I mean before we talk tell us about you so we can see how it's supposed to work" Naruto said and for once he asked something important. Sakura didn't want to answer wrong and embarrass herself in front of Sasuke again.

"Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate… I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future… never really thought about it. As for my hobbies… I have lots of hobbies"

Sakura glared at her new sensei. "That was totally useless all he really told us was his name." she said to Naruto who nodded in agreement.

"Okay your turn, you won the right so you first" Kakashi said addressing the blonde ninja.

"Believe it! I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at the Ichiruka Noodle Shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them! My future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me like I'm somebody, somebody important" Naruto stated proudly.

Well he's grown up in a very interesting way Kakashi thought.

"Him? Hokage? In charge of a village, with living breathing people? Yeah right!" Sakura thought.

"Alright next" Kakashi called out and Sakura introduced herself.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like... uh… I mean the person I like is... uh" Sakura quickly stole a glance at Sasuke before continuing. "My hobby is … uh…" Another glance at Sasuke. "My dream for the future is" A loud squeal and another look at Sasuke.

"And what do you hate?" Kakashi asked.

"Naruto!" Sakura said angrily.

Girls her age are more interested in boys than in ninja training Kakashi mused, looking at the blushing pink haired girl.

"Last one" Kakashi called out directing his attention to the young Uchiha prodigy.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan and destroy a certain someone"

Sakura felt an eerie silence fall over her; Sasuke's goal seemed the most radical of everyone's. Sakura knew if it came to it a ninja was expected to kill someone but she couldn't envision herself doing that but Sasuke seemed determined. Whoever this someone was they were in for it.

As expected Kakashi thought.

"Good you're each unique and you have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow" The silver haired Jounin decided.

Sakura looked up, tomorrow? That wasn't a lot of time to prepare for a mission. Naruto did a salute

"What kind of mission are we going to have?" Sakura studied Kakashi carefully; there was something he was hiding from them.

"It's a task the four of us will do together" was his simple reply.

"What? What? What? What?" Naruto chanted.

"A survival exercise" Kakashi said annoyed.

"Huh? Survival exercise?" Naruto questioned.

"I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice. We already did this stuff at the academy that's how we got here!" Sakura said

"This is not like your previous training" Kakashi said, smirking under his mask.

"So uh so uh what kind of training is it then?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi began to chuckle and Sakura became rather annoyed.

"Hey hold on, that's a normal question. What's so funny?" she asked.

Kakashi stopped chucking. "Well if I tell you the answer you're not going to like it"

Naruto glared at the Jounin "Huh?"

Kakashi took a more serious tone and elaborated. "Of the 27 graduates who just came here only 9 will actually be accepted as Genin. The other 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words this is a make it or break it, pass fail test. And the chance that you'll fail is at least 66 percent"

Kakashi took one look at his new student's faces and sighed."See didn't I tell you, you wouldn't like it"

At this point Naruto lost it. "That's crazy! We worked hard to get here! Believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?"

Kakashi smirked. "Oh that, that was just to select candidates who might become Genin or not"

"WHAAAAT?" Naruto bellowed out.

"That's how it is. I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5am and bring your ninja gear"

Sakura looked over at Naruto who was shaking, his eyes glued to the ground, he was obviously determined. Sasuke was also shaking slightly and looked just as determined as Naruto not to be weeded out and sent back to the academy.

"That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow you'd better skip breakfast or else you'll be sick" With that Kakashi disappeared leaving behind nothing but leaves.

Sakura turned around to see Sasuke gone as well.

"Well I'll see you tomorrow then Sakura" Naruto said before jogging off in the opposite direction.

Sakura remained seated on the stairs. What was her motivation to win tomorrow and not be sent back to the academy?

**"We'll be separated from Sasuke forever! This is a contest of true love!"** Inner Sakura offered.

Sakura nodded to herself but she still felt… Different. Like she didn't belong.

Naruto's dreams were almost unattainable; to become Hokage was a tall order. That was his motivation for winning tomorrow.

Sasuke's dreams weren't dreams because he was going to kill that someone and restore his clan. That was his motivation for winning tomorrow.

Sakura didn't have ambitious dreams like Naruto, or revenge motivated goals like Sasuke. All she ever wanted to do was marry Sasuke… Now that didn't seem like enough… Not just compared to her teammates but for her.

Sakura sighed and looked around her knowing she was completely alone. Sasuke and Naruto had it all together, they knew what they wanted to do and they knew what had to be done to achieve it. She didn't know what she wanted to do with her life as a ninja.

It seemed like her teammates were miles ahead, leaving her to watch from the background. Little did Sakura know that this would become more and more evident to her as time went on.


	2. The Infamous Bell Test

_[Disclaimer: This story uses dialogue and events from the original Naruto manga and anime series. It is a retelling of sorts from the perspective of Sakura Haruno with changes to events and additional scenes. All rights to the creators of Naruto etc.]_

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Sakura arrived at the designated training field and found she was all alone. She grumbled to herself about Kakashi's lateness and her stomach rumbled with her in agreement. What an idiotic request to not have breakfast. Surely a good, healthy and nutritious breakfast would be consumed by any elite ninja before setting off on a long arduous mission. Not only that but she had to get up at 4 this morning just to do her hair!<p>

Sakura scanned the training grounds for any sign of her teammates, the solitude was beginning to intimidate her and she longed for company even that of Naruto. Suddenly her senses picked up on a familiar chakra, it was Sasuke! It was strange Sakura thought that his chakra was faint and coming from the training field on the far left past the forest. She was certain that Kakashi had told them to meet at the training ground in the centre, closest to the entry point.

Nevertheless the pink haired teen went off in search of Sasuke, perhaps she'd just made a mistake and they were all waiting for her. She quickened her pace not wanting to delay Sasuke and Naruto from this very important survival exercise. Cringing inwardly Sakura thought of another infamous Uchiha glare being shot in her direction.

As she neared closer to the training grounds she could hear the clash of kunai and the quiet instruction of Kakashi-sensei.

"That was alright. Remember Naruto keep your eyes on the opposing person's weak areas, you're flourishing your kunai around needlessly. Sasuke you need to harness your chakra better and spread it evenly throughout your body. Currently you're using too much of it on speed which although important is not necessary for close range combat" The familiar voice echoed.

Sakura stopped and hid behind some bushes, peering out into the training field. There were Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto training without her! She watched the two boys nod and prepare to spar again.

Why would they have started training without her? Kakashi had said a 5am start but it Sasuke and Naruto looked exhausted which indicated they had been out here since at least 3am.

Sakura deliberated running out onto the field and announcing her presence, but that seemed at bit over dramatic. Maybe they hadn't been here since 3; maybe Sasuke and Naruto had put their differences aside and woke up at 4 to spar with each other? Maybe Kakashi sensei had only turned up in the last 5 minutes or so. With this reassurance Sakura walked across the field and waved.

"Ohayou Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura called and watched as Kakashi turned to look at her with complete disgust.

"Why are you here Sakura?" he asked in annoyance.

Sasuke and Naruto had stopped sparring and were standing next to their sensei looking at her with pity and arrogance. "What do you mean why am I here? I'm on this team!" Sakura half yelled, panic beginning to mount within her.

"Hn. Not anymore you're not. After that pathetic introduction you gave yesterday we went straight to the Hokage and requested you be transferred out of Team 7"Tears stung the corners of Sakura's eyes as she tried to process what Sasuke had said.

Transferred out of her squad? They hadn't even started training yet.

"W-what? No you can't do that!" Sakura yelled at him but Sasuke simply turned and walked away as did Kakashi.

"N-Naruto? Surely you don't think this is fair" Sakura asked, her voice wavering but Naruto glared at her.

"You're rude and selfish; all you care about is how you look. You'd be more than useless in a fight and you don't have any goals. You're just here for Sasuke" Naruto declared angrily and Sakura gaped at him.

"Besides we've already found your replacement" he finished as Sakura looked across the field to see a blonde haired girl standing next to Sasuke and Kakashi.

"I-Ino? You're my replacement?" Sakura whispered as Ino walked over, holding hands with Sasuke.

"See Forehead, I told you, you're not cut out to be a ninja. All that pointless chasing after Sasuke, it got you nowhere. He's mine now" Ino smirked in victory as Sasuke leaned down to kiss her.

Sakura's heart shattered into a million pieces, her knees gave way and she fell to the ground sobbing uncontrollably.

Ino sighed and rolled her eyes before walking away with Kakashi and Naruto following behind her. Sasuke bent down until he was eye level with a very tearful Sakura.

"S-Sasuke w-why?" she asked, her fingers digging into the soft earth, whole body shaking as another round of sobs racked her body.

"Because you're weak" Sasuke replied simply. Sakura felt herself swaying and everything went black.

* * *

><p>"NO SASUKE, NARUTO, KAKASHI! COME BACK I'M NOT WEAK"<p>

Sakura shot upright covered in sweat, tears running down her face. She tried to slow down her breathing and looked out her window, it was still quite dark. Her clock read 4am and normally Sakura would get up, have a shower and spend the remainder of her time on her appearance.

With Naruto's words from her dream still fresh in her mind Sakura reset her clock to 4:30 and tried to get back to sleep. It was a conformation of what she was feeling yesterday, her goals were naïve and childish.

Sasuke wouldn't want to be with someone who couldn't do anything for themselves, after all what was the point in becoming a ninja then? It sort of made sense in her dream that Ino replaced her and became Sasuke's girlfriend; she was strong and determined while Sakura was weak and unsure of herself.

_What do I want to do with my life? _

Her parents were both retired ninja's and they had served Konoha with pride. She too wanted to help her village in some way. Frustrated she tossed and turned; finally she threw the covers off and looked at the clock again. It was still early but Sakura felt like she could do with a walk to clear her head.

She undressed and stepped into the shower letting the hot steamy water wash over her body as she tried to process everything. It had just been a dream, a horrible nightmare but what Naruto had said was true. She was selfish and superficial. Sakura wasn't sure how but that needed to change.

After a quicker than usual shower she stood in front of her closet and looked at her one ninja outfit. The red dress with the white Haruno circles she chose because she thought it would get Sasuke's attention, but looking at it now it seemed impractical for a ninja. Among her ninja outfit there were fancy dresses, high heels and plenty of accessories.

_Perhaps I need to rethink my wardrobe_, Sakura thought. She knew elite female ninja would have maybe one or two nice dresses for special events and the rest would be ninja clothing.

Because she didn't have anything else Sakura donned her usual attire but decided she'd look around the stores after training and try to find something a little more practical. Instead of spending ages on her hair Sakura simply brushed it a couple of times and finished packing her bag. Shutting her front door behind her quietly so as not to wake her parents, Sakura walked down the street towards the training grounds.

The streets of Konoha were quiet except for the few dedicated shop owners who were cleaning up their stores before the daily rush. Other villagers were preparing their stalls on the sides of the road in the hopes of a good sales day. Sakura kept her head down and continued walking, the disgusted look on Kakashi-sensei's face and the hurtful words of Naruto and Sasuke never leaving her mind.

_Because you're weak. Rude and selfish; all you care about is how you look…_

Being so preoccupied with her thoughts Sakura almost didn't see the little girl standing in front of her and almost ran into her.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there" she said sadly before continuing on her way.

"W-wait! You're a ninja aren't you?" the small child's voice called after her.

Sakura turned around to look at the brown haired girl before smiling slightly. "Yes, I guess I am. Why?"

The girl shifted her weight and looked at Sakura with pleading eyes. "Please my name is Ayme, my brother is ill. My parents are out on a mission and won't be back for a while. A lady came by and treated him yesterday but he isn't looking much better. Can you help?" she pleaded.

Sakura was shocked, she didn't know much about illnesses and treating people who were sick.

_Yet another thing I'm too weak to accomplish_ Sakura thought, looking at the girl.

She was obviously distraught and Sakura sensed no genjutsu; she knew it was her ninja duty to help someone in need no matter what the task.

"My name is Sakura. I don't know too much about medical procedures but I'll take a look at your brother. Does that sound okay?" she asked. Ayme nodded and took Sakura by the hand leading her to a nearby house.

"Oniisan, I found a ninja her name is Sakura; she's going to take a look at you!" Ayme exclaimed as they entered a smaller room within the house. Looking around Sakura saw a boy lying in a bed sweating profusely.

"Hitoshi! Sakura please help him" Ayme cried as she rushed to her brother. Hitoshi looked a year younger than Sakura at most. Approaching him, Sakura lifted a hand to his forehead and felt an extreme amount of heat.

"Well I'm no doctor but your brother appears to be running a very severe fever. Without treatment soon the fever will get worse. Ayme do you remember what the lady who treated your brother did?" Sakura asked, Ayme scratched her head and then smiled.

"Yes, she did something that made her hands glow green, then she put them on Hitoshi's forehead and he stopped sweating" the little girl explained. Sakura nodded "Sounds like a transfer of chakra, I don't know if I have enough to get rid of the fever completely but I might be able to relieve some of the pain"

Closing her eyes the pink haired ninja placed her hands on either side of Hitoshi's head. A surge of power flowed through her and her hands began to glow green to Ayme's delight. Sakura focused on projecting the chakra, however she began to tire quickly and beads of sweat broke out across her forehead. Suddenly the chakra recoiled like a rubber band and Sakura felt herself slump forward and collapse on the ground.

* * *

><p>"Hey are you alright?"<p>

Sakura's eyes fluttered open to see a blonde woman with massive boobs leaning over her. She got up carefully and put a hand to her head, Sakura could tell she was drained completely of chakra.

"Headache?" The woman asked and put her hands on either side of Sakura's head, immediately Sakura felt rejuvenated as she was pumped full of chakra.

Once she was able to stand, Sakura went over to the bed at looked at Hitoshi. His fever was all but gone and Ayme smiled brightly at her.

"Thank you for helping him Sakura, you also Lady Tsunade" she spoke happily.

Sakura smiled and turned to the blonde woman named Tsunade. "Thank you for replenishing my chakra, I take it you're the lady who healed Hitoshi yesterday?" she asked. Tsunade nodded and smirked at the pink haired girl.

"Ayme said you weren't sure of what you were doing, nevertheless you managed to quell most of Hitoshi's fever. You obviously have good chakra control; with plenty of training you'd make a fine medic ninja someday" The blonde woman commented, getting to her feet and helping Sakura up as well.

"You are a medical ninja then?"

Tsunade smiled "Well I hate to toot my own horn but I'm one of the very best. You're a genin level ninja I'm assuming?"

Sakura gave a nod of affirmation.

"Kakashi Hatake must be your sensei then. Correct?" Tsunade asked. Sakura gasped, how did this stranger know who her sensei was?

"How do I know? Only Kakashi would make his students get up this early in the morning for training. By the way, the secret to the bell test is teamwork." Tsunade winked at her before turning her attention to the little girl.

Sakura was beyond confused, what did she mean by a bell test?

"Ayme, Hitoshi should make a full recovery. As for you Sakura, you have great potential. I'm here in Konoha for the rest of the week on business before I leave for the Sand Village to act as their stand in head medic for a few months. If you're interested in training under me you know where I'll be" Tsunade offered.

Standing up the blonde lady stood up and ruffled Ayme's hair and shook hands with Sakura before leaving the house. Sakura stared after the woman, a medical ninja?

"I think you'd make a good medical ninja Sakura, you healed my brother" Ayme said. Sakura nodded maybe Ayme and Tsuande were right. What harm could it do? Her goals were non-existent at the moment.

"Wait a second… my goals? My dream… THE SURVIVAL EXERCISE! I'M LATE! BYE AYME!" Sakura yelled as she sprinted out of the house as fast as she could towards the training grounds.

* * *

><p>Sasuke and Naruto had arrived at the training grounds at five minutes to five. Naruto looked absolutely shattered and grumbled about the time and the fact that Ichiruka wasn't open this early in the morning. Sasuke however had been up since 4 training so he was wide awake and ready to start.<p>

Sasuke was determined not to be sent back to the academy. It was bad enough he had been put on a team with that obnoxious Sakura and the idiotic Naruto but to be right back where he started was not an option. Itachi was the man Sasuke wanted to kill; he was personally responsible for the Uchiha massacre and the death of all of Sasuke's family. He would pay for what he did.

Sasuke was quietly confident compared to Sakura and Naruto he had the most advanced skill in the squad. He could care less what happened to either of them, all a team would do was slow him down. He knew out of the three of them one would be sent back to the academy which meant he'd be stuck with either Naruto or Sakura.

"Hey Sasuke, its 5:30 and Kakashi and Sakura aren't here yet!"

Sasuke sighed; Naruto was pissing him off by stating the obvious. Although Sasuke wondered where the pink haired girl was he wouldn't be half as annoyed with Naruto if she were here to lecture him and keep him quiet.

_That's all she's really good at, S_asuke mused. Truthfully even Naruto despite his low scores was more advanced in terms of combat than she was. It was decided, Sasuke would much prefer Sakura to be sent back to the academy than Naruto.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sasuke opened his eyes to see Naruto waving and calling out to Sakura. Sasuke noticed her hair wasn't as neat and as straight as yesterday and the dark circles under her eyes indicated she hadn't had a good night's sleep. Sasuke mentally slapped himself for being concerned with such trivial matters.

"Ohayou Sasuke-kun, Naruto. Sorry I'm late… I uh someone needed assistance on my way here" Sakura said quietly. Sasuke looked at her suspiciously, what did she mean by that? Naruto was less subtle and preferred to shout his question at an ear splitting volume.

"WHO NEEDED YOUR HELP SAKURA? WAS IT A COUNCILOR OR THE HOKAGE?"

Sasuke looked at Sakura expecting her to hit Naruto for yelling so loudly at this ridiculous hour, but instead she just gave a sad smile and shook her head.

"No, just a little girl. I did what I could to help her" Sakura explained.

Naruto smiled and seemed satisfied with the answer but Sasuke was more observant. Something was different about her, he just didn't know what. Naruto was getting impatient, that stupid old man said to meet at 5am and it was now 6:30.

"Where is Kakashi huh? That idiot tells us to meet him at 5 and he's not even here yet! I'M SO HUNGRY I COULD EAT A HIPPO!"

Sakura sighed; Naruto was being such a pain. Her ears pricked up at the sound of kunai clashing together, it was coming from the left training field. Flashes of her dream came back to her and Sakura shuddered which didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked. Sakura looked at him and flinched as she remembered his cold words.

"Nothing I just thought I heard…Never mind" Sakura trailed off.

Sasuke glared at the ground._ Stupid annoying girl, what kind of answer was that?_

"THAT'S IT! If Kakashi-sensei doesn't get here soon I'm going to the Hokage and asking for a new teacher!" Naruto bellowed.

Sakura snapped and hit him over the back of the head. "DAMN IT NARUTO SHUT UP! I'M SURE KAKASHI HAS A GOOD EXPLANATION FOR WHY HE ISN'T HERE!"

"Well hi there" Sakura looked up to see Kakashi standing in front of them.

"YOU'RE LATE" Naruto yelled as loud as he could, Sakura's left eye twitched and Sasuke glared at the blonde loudmouth.

"And you're still loud so I guess we're even" Kakashi replied nonchalantly, Naruto growled.

"Aren't you going to tell us where you were?" Naruto demanded.

Kakashi took a clock out of his bag and put it on the nearest tree stump. "Hmm let me see… no. Now if there are no more interruptions we can get started" Pushing down on the clock Kakashi turned around and faced his students.

"I've set the clock for noon, the assignment is very simple" The silver haired Jounin reached into his back pocket and pulled out two bells which jingled in the breeze. Sakura gasped, Tsunade had said something about a test involving bells.

"All you have to do is take these bells from me. That's all there is to it. If you can't get them by noon then you go without lunch. You'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you" Kakashi explained simply.

At that moment Naruto's stomach let out an almighty growl, Sakura put a hand to her own stomach as hunger pains stabbed at her insides. _He told us not to eat breakfast to make it harder on us!_ Sakura thought angrily, and then she noticed a crucial detail.

"Wait a minute there's three of us, how come there are only two bells?"

Kakashi smiled through his mask. "Well that way at least one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy"

Sakura glared at the bells, she knew there had to be more to it than that. There was no way she by herself could take on a Jounin level ninja and win. She doubted even Sasuke could.

"But then again all three of you could flunk out to. You can use any weapons including shuriken; if you're not prepared to kill me you won't be able to take the bells" Kakashi finished looking at each of them. Sakura swallowed hard, prepared to kill him? Wasn't that just a little extreme?

"Really sensei you sure you're up for it? I mean since you couldn't dodge that eraser!" Naruto laughed.

Kakashi however was not amused. "Class clowns are usually the weakest links, you can safely ignore them. Lowest scores, losers"

Sakura glared at Kakashi, she knew how it felt to be called weak and embarrassed in front of everyone even if it was in a dream.

Suddenly she heard Naruto whip out at kunai and knew he was going to go straight for Kakashi. Before he could even move Sakura grabbed his wrist and forced the kunai out of his hand.

"Don't listen to him Naruto, you're not weak. Besides he didn't say start yet" Sakura said with a smirk.

Naruto smiled and nodded before picking up the kunai.

_Hn. What's with the new attitude? She wasn't like this yesterday_ Sasuke thought, looking at Sakura. Curiosity was getting the better of him

"It seems she's starting to take this seriously after all" Kakashi smirked behind his mask.

"Interesting, if Sakura hadn't have stopped you Naruto you would have come at me with the full intention of destroying me. So how can I say this…? I'm actually starting to like you guys"

Sakura rolled her eyes. **"THIS GUY IS A PSYCHO!"** Inner Sakura screamed and Sakura couldn't help but agree with her.

* * *

><p>"Get ready … and… start!"<p>

Sakura concealed herself under a bush, her chakra tracking indicated that Sasuke was on a tree branch a few meters away from her and Naruto was…

"YOU AND ME RIGHT NOW FAIR AND SQUARE LET'S GO!"

… Standing a few meters away from Kakashi preparing to attack him.

Sakura sighed there was no way she was interfering in this one.

_Fool. Not even bothering to hide and then announcing himself so loud and forward; no hidden attacks, no attempts to conceal his presence,_ Sasuke thought as he watched the blonde loudmouth.

"You know compared to the others you're a little bit… weird" Kakashi said bluntly.

"Oh yeah the only thing weird here is your hair cut" Naruto quipped before charging at the silver haired man. Suddenly he jumped back when he saw Kakashi reaching for his ninja pouch and pulling out something.

"Shinobi battle techniques, part one. Taijutsu, the physical art" Kakashi called out loudly.

_Taijutsu, that's hand to hand combat. Why is Kakashi-sensei using a weapon?_ Sakura thought. Naruto seemed to be thinking the same as he stopped running at his teacher and watched him pull out….

"A book? WHAT THE HELL?" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi opened and began reading his favourite book; Icha Icha Paradise. "What are you waiting for, make your move" he spoke calmly.

"B-but why are you reading that book?" Naruto asked completely perplexed.

"Why? To find out what happens in the story of course. Don't let it bother you, with your weak attacks it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or whatever" Kakashi replied.

Naruto's face twisted in anger as he charged. "I'M GOING TO CRUSH YOU!" he yelled as he threw a punch to Kakashi's face which was effortlessly blocked, he then tried a kick which the Jounin simply ducked to avoid, never taking his eyes off his book.

"Now you're mine!" Naruto charged again at Kakashi squatting form but his fist hit nothing.

Kakashi was behind him. "Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time" he instructed.

Sakura noticed Kakashi had positioned his hands in a hand sign to focus his chakra. It looked like the sign of the tiger, if it was Naruto would be blown to smithereens.

_That hand sign is for a fire jutsu, he's not just toying with Naruto. He's going to demolish him_ Sasuke thought. Sakura meanwhile was deliberating on whether to warn Naruto, what if she was wrong about the hand sign? Then she'd look like a complete fool and give away her hiding spot.

"Wait a second, that's not a hand sign at all. He looks like he's just going to…" she muttered as Kakashi simply poked Naruto without the use of chakra and sent him flying into the river.

"**Phew that was a close one! I could have totally blown my cover and embarrassed myself"** Inner Sakura said wiping sweat from her forehead. Kakashi simply resumed reading his book.

_That must be against the rules. He's a Jounin we can't possibly match his strength!_ Sakura thought as she watched her sensei carefully.

Suddenly two shuriken were launched from the water straight at Kakashi. Sakura had to give Naruto credit; he wasn't going down without a fight but Kakashi simply caught the shuriken with two fingers.

Naruto emerged from the water coughing and spluttering as he climbed up the embankment.

"What are you doing now? You know you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon" Kakashi warned.

"I know I know you told us already!" Naruto said impatiently.

"You look pretty wobbly for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage" Kakashi taunted.

Sakura's stomach growled and Inner Sakura was having a fit. **"Of course he's wobbly. None of us can fight with our usual stamina BECAUSE WE'RE ALL DYING OF STARVATION!" **

Sakura clenched her fists in anger, she was sure not one of the other teams had to go through this stupidity.

"You told us not to eat breakfast! HOW CAN I FIGHT WHEN I'M STARVING TO DEATH?" Naruto yelled. Kakashi started walking away from the soaking wet boy.

"So you caught me off guard that's all it was believe it!" Naruto yelled victoriously, Sakura saw him clutching at his stomach and knew he wouldn't have much strength left.

It was almost like magic, Sakura watched as six Naruto clones launched themselves right out of the water and headed straight for Kakashi.

"Ha ha! You're over confident sensei! That's why you weren't ready for a shadow clone attack my best jutsu!" Naruto yelled out.

"Naruto clones? And they aren't images either, they're real. How could he do that?" Sakura wondered in astonishment.

The Naruto clones charged full tilt at Kakashi.

"Nice try Naruto, but you're still the worst student. You can't beat me with this jutsu" The silver haired man and prepared himself.

It only took a split second, a large thump and the jingling of the bells before Sakura could fully see exactly what Naruto had done.

_He had one of his clones come out of the river then he snuck up behind Kakashi-sensei super quietly before grabbing him from behind, _Sakura thought as she watched all the clones hold Kakashi down while the real Naruto launched into the air ready to punch their sensei.

"A diversionary tactic, nice" Sasuke said, perhaps Naruto wasn't such an idiot after all.

It happened so fast, one minute Naruto was holding Kakashi-sensei and the next minute he was holding himself.

"Naruto didn't punch Kakashi, he punched himself!" Sakura observed as she watched the Naruto clone that was hit fall to the ground. The real Naruto looked at his bruised clone before realising something.

"It's you…YOU'RE KAKASHI-SENSEI AREN'T YOU! YOU TRANSFORMED INTO ME USING A JUTSU!" Naruto exclaimed loudly pointing at the hit clone.

A fight broke out between all the shadow clones and Naruto as they beat each other up trying to decide which one was Kakashi. Realising it was getting him nowhere the blonde boy undid the jutsu and found himself standing all alone.

"He got him with a replacement jutsu. With this jutsu you quickly switch your own body with an object, so your enemy thinks he's attacking you when he's actually attacking a log or a rock; leaving him open to a counter attack. In this case Kakashi let himself get caught, then switched bodies with one of the Naruto clones so Naruto thought he was nailing him but actually he was just attacking himself; that Jounin was so smooth he made Naruto look like a total moron" Sasuke said, shaking his head at Naruto.

Sakura felt sympathy for Naruto who was now staring intently at the ground.

"A bell!" Naruto yelled and Sakura looked up, had Naruto really found a bell? "I must have got to him with my attack! He dropped a bell!" he exclaimed proudly.

Sakura knew it was a trap and was about to warn Naruto but it was too late, Naruto reached for the bell but before he could even touch it a rope shot out of nowhere and grabbed him by the ankles hoisting him up against the tree upside down.

"HEY! HEY! LET ME DOWN! WHAT IS THIS? AHHHH" Naruto screamed as he bounced around trying to free himself.

"Of course it was a trap" Sasuke sighed. Naruto continued to yell and scream. "That Jounin doesn't let down his guard, even when he's fighting a fool like Naruto"

Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and picked up the bell, Naruto made a desperate grab for it but no avail.

"Think before you use a jutsu or else your opponent might use it against you. Oh and also, if the bait is obvious don't take it. A ninja must see through deception" Kakashi said finishing his lecture.

"I get it!" Naruto said waving his arms around like a crazy person.

"I'm telling you this because you don't get it; you think you get it which is not the same as actually getting it" Kakashi said completely oblivious to the flying shuriken launched in his direction courtesy of Sasuke.

"He hit him, Sasuke actually hit him!" Sakura gasped in surprise as the shuriken connected with its target.

"AH! HE JUST GOT BLASTED WITH SHURIKEN! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND SASUKE, YOU WENT TOO FAR" Naruto screeched.

Suddenly there was a poof and a cloud of white smoke, in place of Kakashi was a log with all of Sasuke's shuriken in it.

Sakura heard Sasuke leave his branch and go speeding off into the forest. _I have to go after Sasuke-kun, _Sakura thought and turned to leave but something stopped her.

"_By the way, the secret to the bell test is teamwork"_

"Of course it's so obvious!" Sakura yelled out loud. "Individually each of us doesn't stand a chance against Kakashi but together we just might be able to get those bells!"

She stood up and dusted herself off, there was no point going after Sasuke she'd be less than useless to him plus he had Kakashi tailing him. Naruto on the other hand was still tied up and in need of assistance.

"SENSEI! WHERE'D YOU GO LET ME DOWN" He yelled obnoxiously.

Suddenly a kunai came whizzing through the air and cut the rope sending Naruto falling to the ground. Sakura, after sensing Kakashi-sensei was nowhere near, quickly ran to free Naruto from the rope binding his ankles together.

"Sakura-chan! Thanks for freeing me, where's Sasuke and that stupid old man?" Naruto asked. Sakura shrugged indifferently as she finished cutting the rope from around his ankles.

"Listen the only way we can pass this test is if we work as a team, by ourselves we don't stand a chance against Kakashi and his Jounin level techniques. But together if we can divert is attention long enough one of us can grab the bells" she explained.

Naruto stood up and gave a cheeky grin. "Sounds like a plan believe it! We'll work together and beat that cocky Jounin at his own game"

Sakura smiled, convincing Naruto wasn't hard but Sasuke was another issue altogether.

* * *

><p>"Let's go then. We're going to need Sasuke's help if this is going to work" With that Sakura led Naruto into the forest.<p>

"How'd I fall for such a basic ninjutsu technique? Now I'm trapped up to my head in dirt!" Sasuke thought angrily as he struggled in vain to get himself free.

He had no idea where Sakura was and Naruto the loser was probably still tied to that tree. So Sasuke didn't know how to react when his two teammates flew out of the forest and stood in front of him with mixed expressions of amusement and concern.

"BAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU? WHO'S THE LOSER NOW SASUKE?" Naruto yelled pointing his finger.

Sakura twitched and hit Naruto over the head. "Quiet down idiot! Do you want Kakashi to hear us?" she hissed at the blonde boy before looking at Sasuke.

"How much room do you have to move?" Sakura asked an idea forming.

Sasuke attempted to stretch his limbs. "About a centimetre"

"I wonder…" She trailed off before looking at her hands; if she could transfer chakra to heal a person then maybe she could use it as a forceful weapon.

Chakra was typically focused and concentrated to perform a jutsu. Maybe if she combined a combat style taijutsu punch with a concentration of chakra she could free Sasuke or at least give him some more room to gather his chakra and get himself out.

"What exactly are you planning to do? After all there's not much you can do" Sasuke said belittling the pink haired teen. Sakura brushed it off and started to focus her chakra.

"This may work and then again it may not, I might break the earth completely or I could give you some more room to move and get yourself out okay. Stand back Naruto" Sakura instructed and Sasuke simply nodded, after all what choice did he have?

When she felt she had enough chakra in her fist Sakura raised her arm and struck the ground. "CHA!" she yelled as her fist collided with the earth.

At first nothing happened, Sasuke shot her his infamous Uchiha glare and Naruto began twisting his head in all directions, paranoid that Kakashi would spring them any second. Sakura felt the heat pool to her cheeks under Sasuke's intense glare; she'd managed to look like a weak loser again.

Then the earth began to rumble, not very loudly but it was audible. A crack a meter long began to stretch from where Sakura was standing all the way down to Sasuke's head where it split off and divided leaving a hole in the earth wide enough for Sasuke to get his arms out and then used the remainder of his chakra to push himself up and out.

"Wow Sakura where'd you learn to do that?" Naruto asked.

Sakura felt her head spinning and knew she used too much chakra, even more than she used to heal Hitoshi. Shaking her head she attempted to focus her eyesight and watched as Sasuke dusted himself off before turning to her.

"Hn. Thanks for getting me out I guess" Sasuke said. Sakura smiled and a light coral pink dusted her cheeks.

"Sasuke, Naruto and I need your help to get those bells. Individually we don't stand a chance but together two of us can distract Kakashi while the other takes the bells. I think this is a team exercise, he's trying to test us as a team" she explained.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her request, he was sure working with those two would only slow him down.

"What about the bells, there are only two of them and three of us like you said? Even if we work as a team one of us will still have to go back to the academy" he scrutinized.

Sakura clenched her fists in frustration, of course how could she have forgotten there were only three bells… Unless.

"Well uh, I think that the bells are simply being used to pit us against each other. The bells themselves don't have any value whatsoever, they're merely a tool to disguise the real objective of this task which is ultimately teamwork" Sakura said, Naruto nodded and both watched the Uchiha for his final verdict.

"Are you sure about this? I can't take a chance on a whim or a maybe" Sasuke asked fixing her with a heavy gaze.

Sakura looked up meeting his eyes, her own eyes burned with determination. "All of us working together is the only way to do this, but since you're so sceptical I'll make you a deal. If it turns out I'm wrong and even after we get the bells, if one of us has to go back to the academy then it'll be me"

_Whoa. She must really believe this will work,_ Naruto thought. Sasuke looked at her before nodding his head and smirking. "What's the plan?"

* * *

><p>Kakashi had returned to the middle of the training field to find someone had cut Naruto down. "Hmm perhaps they're finally starting to understand" he said as he resumed reading his book.<p>

"Ohayou sensei"

Kakashi looked up to see the only female on the squad standing a few meters away from him. "Sakura… this is unexpected. How exactly do you plan to get a bell from me?"

Sakura simply smirked. "I don't sensei… but _we_ do"

Suddenly Kakashi was surrounded by hundreds of Naruto clones. "I'm going to get you back for tying me to that tree! Believe it!" they yelled. All the clones charge and Kakashi was overwhelmed trying to block each and every single attack.

Sakura then transformed herself into a Naruto clone, before sneaking in and trying to get the bells hanging from Kakashi's waist. Sakura dodged and weaved through the clones before finally reaching her sensei. As if on cue a whole bunch of Naruto clones charged at Kakashi from the left hand side distracting him and giving Sakura time to grab the bells. However Kakashi had seen her and was about to aim a kick when one of the clones blocked it.

"Hn. No way sensei" The clone spoke in Sasuke's voice and Kakashi faltered. In that split second it was over.

Sakura snagged the bells. There was a huge poof and one by one all the Naruto clones disappeared, Sasuke and Sakura transformed back to themselves and stood in front of Kakashi. Naruto wore a huge grin on his face as he too came to stand beside his teammates.

"Well, you're the first squad ever to actually get the bells, and the first squad to understand the meaning behind the exercise. Teamwork… So that means you've all passed" Kakashi said, happily surprised.

"I PASSED, WE PASSED BELIEVE IT BELIEVE IT!" Naruto yelled as loud as he could before jumping around and hugging Sakura really hard.

"Idiot she can't breathe" Sasuke said angrily as Sakura gasped for air. Naruto apologized profusely but Sakura simply shook it off, things had turned out well.

"Yes, yes all of you except one person pass! Now Sakura since you're holding the bells, you decide who you want to take with you and who goes back to the academy" Kakashi said cheerfully.

Sakura felt all the blood drain from her face, Sasuke glared angrily and Naruto looked about ready to scream his head off. "W-what? I thought you said we passed" Sakura spoke shakily.

Kakashi simply shook his head. "Yes you passed in the fact that you can work well as a team but there are still two bells which means one of you has to go"

Sakura looked at the two bells in her hand before looking at the two boys in front of her.

"**YES CHOOSE SASUKE- THEN YOU'LL HAVE HIM EXCLUSIVELY AND INO-PIG WILL BE SO JEALOUS"** Inner Sakura screamed. Sakura shook her head she'd already made a promise.

"Sasuke, Naruto"

Sasuke looked at his female teammate. A small part of him felt sympathy for her having the make the decision but another part of him was demanding she keep the promise she made. Naruto sighed in defeat. He knew in a contest between he and Sasuke, he'd be going back to the academy. _People never keep their promises, _he thought.

Sakura however had made up her mind and dropped a bell into each of her teammate's hands as Kakashi watched the interaction carefully.

"Sakura-chan! No, now you'll have to go back to the academy" Naruto said sadly.

Sakura smiled, she was going to miss his outbursts of obviousness. "Yeah I know but I promised you both that if one of us had to go back it'd be me. Don't worry I'll be fine" she said trying to reassure herself and Naruto.

"I guess I'll see you guys around" she commented before turning away and walking back towards the entrance to the training grounds.

"No, you're not going anywhere" The Uchiha boy spoke up much to his shock and Sakura's.

"Forget it Sasuke, I'm going back to the academy. We had a deal remember?" Sakura reminded him.

"Tch. We're a team we need to act like one. If you go back then we all go back" Sasuke said, handing his bell to Kakashi.

"Yeah believe it! It's all of us or none of us!" Naruto yelled and did the same as Sasuke.

"One for all and all for one that's the best you've got?" Kakashi asked. Sakura looked downtrodden but Sasuke and Naruto stood firm glaring at the silver haired man.

"Well then you pass" He announced again, smiling underneath his mask.

Naruto growled angrily "WHAT? ONE MINUTE WE PASS AND THE NEXT WE FAIL! PICK ONE ALREADY!"

"You all pass, no one has to go back to the academy" Kakashi explained.

"Well then why did you tell Sakura she had to go back? What did we do differently to make us pass?" Sasuke asked monotone.

"I had to make sure you and Naruto had the right attitudes. Sakura convinced both of you to work together and showed incredible selflessness but I wanted to make sure you'd do the same for her in return. Your show of solidarity just then confirmed it" Kakashi spoke.

Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, Naruto began his victory dance and Sasuke appeared satisfied.

"Someone once gave me some valuable advice; those who forsake their teammates are worse than scum, never forget that" The silver haired Jounin said. The serious moment was suddenly interrupted by the growl of Naruto's stomach.

"Oh right, let's have that lunch"

* * *

><p>"Sensei, I was wondering if I could introduce myself again." Sakura asked.<p>

Naruto momentarily stopped stuffing his face with ramen and looked at his female teammate. Sasuke also looked up from his food.

"Why would you want to do that?" Kakashi replied.

"Well… I don't think I gave a very good introduction and I'd just like to try again" Sakura explained.

"Go ahead then" Kakashi said. The male members of squad seven stopped eating and turned their attention to their teammate.

"My name is Sakura Haruno I like to spar with my parents, eat dango, read and help people. I don't like people who are rude and arrogant. I don't really have any hobbies. And my dream is to become a respected medical ninja so that people won't treat me like I'm weak and useless"


	3. A New Sensei and The First Mission

_[Disclaimer: This story uses dialogue and events from the original Naruto manga and anime series. It is a retelling of sorts from the perspective of Sakura Haruno with changes to events and additional scenes. All rights to the creators of Naruto etc.]_

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>"Well since you've all passed we begin our first official mission as squad seven two days from now. I'll see you all at the Hokage tower then. Remember to eat breakfast" Kakashi instructed before disappearing in a puff of white cloud.<p>

The newly formed Team 7 walked together from the training grounds back to the village, Naruto on Sakura's left babbling away to her about how she should try ramen and Sasuke walked quietly beside her on her right.

Sakura was only half listening to Naruto, she was deep in thought about how she would achieve her new goal. When she'd announced her dream to become a top medical ninja her team's reactions were all different. Kakashi nodded his head in approval; Naruto was openly happy for her and proceeded to spray her with half-digested rice chunks as he yelled his congratulations with mouth full. Sasuke remained silent as always but Sakura thought she saw a look of confusion pass through his face but was gone just as quickly.

"SASUKE-TEME!"

Sakura was shaken out of her reprieve and found Naruto yelling at the empty space where Sasuke was.

"Sakura-chan, Sasuke just disappeared he didn't even say goodbye! Damn idiot!" Naruto whined.

Sakura simply chuckled "He does that if you haven't noticed... But even I have to agree it's creepy that we never hear him leave. He's just like Kakashi in that respect" she observed.

Naruto nodded and muttered something about Sasuke being too cool for everyone.

"Eh Sakura... so now that we're alone…" Naruto said with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle before receiving a large bump on the head.

"PERVERT! I'll see you tomorrow for the mission" Sakura said, annoyed.

She then headed for the inner most part of Konoha. The pink haired teen decided the best place to start looking for Tsunade was at the Hokage tower where every foreign visitor to the village was required to report.

_I'd better keep my training with Tsunade a secret from the rest of my team. I don't want them to think I'm selfish_, Sakura thought as she walked through the sliding doors into the air-conditioned lobby of the Hokage tower. She approached the receptionist nervously.

"Um hi I was wondering if anyone by the name of Tsunade had registered here this morning and if you could tell me where she might be now?" Sakura asked.

The female receptionist looked up and Sakura recognized her as one of the girls who bullied her during her time in the academy.

"Oh it's you giant Forehead girl. What the hell do you want?" Ami sneered. Sakura clenched her fists at the mean nickname her classmates had bestowed upon her.

"I wanted to know if someone named Tsuande checked in here this morning" Sakura said through gritted teeth.

"Look Forehead. I'm only taking this internship because my mother made me. If you think I'm helping you forget it! You're the same loser you were back at the academy. The only reason people pay attention to you is because you're on the same team as Uchiha Sasuke. Who by the way you'd never be good enough for" Ami said with conviction before turning her attention to an important looking business woman waiting at the counter.

"**OH HELL NO! LET THAT BITCH HAVE IT! I'LL TOTALLY RIP HER TO PIECES! IT'S NOT LIKE SHE CAN DO ANY BETTER SHE FLUNKED OUT OF THE ACADEMY ANYWAY!" **Inner Sakura blazed.

Sakura almost gave into temptation and let her inner self run rampant and kill Ami. But instead she decided to leave and head for home ignoring the stabling feeling in her heart.

Tsunade was more than a little angry as she stormed out of Konoha hospital. The incompetence of the staff was something to be marveled at. They hadn't shown her any respect and she'd exhausted most of her chakra healing patients because some of the nurses "didn't feel like wasting their chakra" The head medic was absolutely useless. Tsunade had to wonder what they would do if a whole load of ANBU came in critically injured.

"I need some sake" Tsunade muttered as she walked towards the nearest bar.

Sakura meanwhile was in a deep depressive state as she repeated Ami's words to herself over again, her self-esteem had taken one too many hits today. Sakura looked up just in time to see Tsunade walking past her towards the Konoha tavern.

"Lady Tsunade!" Sakura called out and raced after her.

Tsunade turned around in response to her name being called and recognized Kakashi's pink haired student. "You're Sakura, right? What can I do for you?"

Sakura gave a timid smile "I was wondering if I might take up your offer to train under you"

Tsunade studied the girl carefully. "Well I can tell you now I'm not going to go easy on you. Your talent for chakra control will only get you so far, for this to work you need to be one hundred percent committed to training"

Sakura nodded her head vigorously; she was prepared to do whatever it took to not be considered weak. "I'm prepared to do absolutely anything you ask in order to get stronger" Sakura replied firmly.

"Well that being said I'm completely drained of chakra because of those useless boneheads in the hospital. They all seem to be lacking a frontal lobe, so I'm headed to the bar which means no training straight away. But you can come with me if you want? I'll even shout you some non-alcoholic fruity drink because you look like you need one" Tsunade said before resuming her original goal with an apprehensive Sakura following behind.

* * *

><p>"Hello Miko, the usual for me today and your finest mock tail for Sakura here" Tsunade instructed.<p>

The bartender bowed in response and began busying himself preparing the drinks. The blonde woman (as tired as she was) could tell something was up with her new apprentice. Once their drinks were ready she decided it was now her business as her new sensei to pry into these matters. After all any emotional baggage would be a hindrance during training.

"So what made you change your mind about training under me? When I suggested it this morning you didn't seem very enthused" Tsuande asked as she sipped her sake.

Sakura had a feeling this question was coming and she decided it was best to be up front and honest with her new sensei.

"It's going to sound silly but I had a nightmare last night. My teammate Naruto Uzumaki and Kakashi said I had been kicked off Team 7 because I was too selfish and absorbed with how I looked. Ino a girl who I used to be best friends with was my replacement. She and my other teammate Sasuke Uchiha were together" Sakura paused and looked at her sensei who nodded for her to continue.

"He called me weak… And today just before I saw you outside the hospital I went to the Hokage tower to find you and a girl from the academy was working as a receptionist there. She insulted me and told me the only reason people know who I am is because I'm on the same team as Sasuke" Sakura finished glumly.

"I see" Tsunade replied.

She drank deeply from her bottle of sake and felt sympathy for Sakura; she knew what it felt like to be left behind by her teammates. The feelings of loneliness and uselessness washed away by the alcohol she so desperately craved.

"But I-I want to change that. I don't want to be known as just the girl on the same team as the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan and trained by the famed Kakashi Hatake. I want to be recognized as a person, as someone important" Sakura said as she felt her emotions bubble over.

"Hmm. That's the kind of answer I was hoping for. Strength is not restricted to physical appearance but a strong mental attitude is imperative as well. As you become physically stronger your confidence will grow and you'll be your own person" Tsunade smiled and stood up. Leaving some money on the counter she walked out and Sakura followed.

"So I have half an hour before I have to return to the hospital and those useless nurses. After my shift we can start your training but is there anything particular you want to do for this half hour?" Tsunade asked mildly.

"I was actually hoping to change my look a bit. I have too many fancy clothes and not nearly enough clothes for training and missions. I brought this dress because it looked good; it's actually pretty impractical for a ninja" Sakura said.

"Fair enough I actually have something in mind" Tsunade said smirking.

* * *

><p>Sakura kicked the door to her room open with her foot, her arms full of shopping bags. She threw the bags down and flopped on her bed exhausted, Tsunade was one ridiculously fast shopper. She went through the racks throwing clothes behind her to Sakura's waiting arms. The pile got so big she couldn't even see over the top of it.<p>

Reaching for one of the bags Sakura pulled out her new outfit for training and missions with Team 7. Instead of a dress her outfit was split in two. Her top was a very basic design and red in colour, Tsunade had chosen a short grey apron skirt made of breathable material and good for flexibility but she would still wear the same black mid-thigh tights underneath. To top it all off her blue ninja sandals were replaced with a pair of black boots**.**

Regaining some of her energy back Sakura opened her wardrobe and began stuffing her kimonos, most of her makeup, all of her necklaces except one, all her high heels except one pair into a huge bag.

Once the bag was full she started putting all her new ninja clothes on hangers as well as some everyday clothes which were a few t-shirts, two pairs of jeans and a pair of shorts. Ninja sandals replaced the high heels, only two tubes of lip gloss were left from the makeup and her jewellery was replaced with hair ties. Tsunade had requested she put her long hair up when training.

Sakura walked into her bathroom taking her new training outfit with her as she changed out of her signature red dress. She emerged from the bathroom holding her dress in one hand and picked up the bag full of her old clothes in the other.

Putting the dress in the bag would mean saying good bye to everything she used to be. But then again she had chosen the dress herself and her parents had bought it for her in celebration of her acceptance into the academy.

_Perhaps keeping it and looking at in every now and again will remind me of how far I've come,_ she thought before hanging it back up.

Satisfied with the change Sakura hoisted the bag over her shoulder and began walking to Konoha Girls Orphanage which was just a couple of streets away from where she lived. Normally she'd spend ages working on her appearance before she left the house to go anywhere just in case she ran into Sasuke, but Sakura felt strangely light and free.

With a new focus and a goal to achieve she felt like everything had been put in perspective. A relationship with Sasuke would be nice, even if it was just good friends but Sakura wasn't holding her breath.

"Welcome Miss Haruno, nice to see you again" The director of the orphanage greeted her cheerfully. He and her parents had been friends for years and Sakura visited the orphanage regularly.

"Nice to see you to Kioshi-san. Sorry I can't stay long today I'm off to train but I have some clothes for the girls" Sakura said, smiling at the man who gave his entire life to helping people. She only hoped that all this training would pay off and she'd be able to do the same.

When Sasuke told her she didn't understand what it was like to be lonely she was hurt a lot deeper than she outwardly portrayed. Obviously she had never lost her entire family but through the stories of the girls at the orphanage she was able to gain an insight.

Even when all she cared about was Sasuke and her appearance she still had a heart and visiting the orphanage became a weekly ritual. After dropping off the clothes Sakura headed for the training grounds in the outer most western part of Konoha. Apparently Tsuande had been granted these training grounds for her own private use by the Hokage which left Sakura wondering about the influence her new sensei had.

Unlike Kakashi, Tsuande arrived shortly after Sakura did sporting a mild headache no thanks to the sake she'd had hours before hand. The setting sun cast an orangey fire over the training grounds as Sakura sat next to her new mentor, who demanded an extra half hour before they started. Sakura's brain was buzzing with questions to ask the blonde woman but instead she chose to thank her.

"Thank you for the advice about the bell test. We all passed today" Sakura said.

Tsunade managed a small smile and offered Sakura a quick pat on the back before pumping more chakra into her head to quell the insane throbbing.

"I'm glad to hear that, how did you do? Even after I fixed your headache I could tell you were low on chakra"

"I actually tried something a little different, after I almost healed Hitoshi I realised I could use the chakra as a weapon. During the test today Sasuke got himself buried neck deep in the earth thanks to Kakashi-sensei. Naruto and I needed to get him out so he could help us get the bells. So I directed my chakra to my fist and punched the ground. It didn't make much of a crack but enough so Sasuke could get out. But I was completely drained of chakra afterward" Sakura spoke softly.

Tsuande glanced at the teenager in surprise, she had read Sakura's file and knew she graduated top of her class in chakra control and precision, but the girls ninja file did not account for her intelligence and resourcefulness. Tsunade knew some medical ninjas who were more advanced than Sakura that never would have thought to combine a taijutsu attack with pure chakra.

"Impressive I must say but it has become obvious to me what we need to start with; increasing your chakra reserves. It's good you can combine taijutsu style fighting with chakra infused attacks and we'll develop that further. The most help you can give to your team at the moment is being able to heal their injuries. When your chakra reserves reach the level that I'm happy with then we can progress further" Tsunade replied.

Tsunade took her hands off her head and looked directly at her apprentice. "So tell me everything you know about chakra" she instructed.

Immediately Sakura's brain went into academic mode and she recited a textbook style speech about chakra. "Chakra is the moulding of physical energy present in the cell of every body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience"

_The response was a basic definition but it was a lot better than most ninja her age_ Tsunade thought as she reached into her back pack and pulled out a scroll.

"Good, what you said was correct but I'm going to elaborate" spreading the scroll out Tsunade began her lecture.

"Everyone produces chakra to some degree, however certain groups such as ninja have learned to generate more chakra and release it outside their body through their chakra points in order to perform jutsu. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, and dojutsu all require chakra however taiijutsu is different and requires only stamina with exception of chakra manipulation to a standard punch or kick which is what you did today during the bell test" Tsunade explained.

Unravelling the scroll further Sakura noticed a picture of different coloured Japanese symbols all connected to each other. "Those are the different types of Elemental Chakra, the five main elemental types are also the Five Great Shinobi Nations; Fire, Lighting, Wind, Earth and Water. Each ninja has the potential to better utilize one of these styles and potentially more" Tsunade finished before rolling up the scroll.

"Most ninja neglect chakra because they don't think it is important but chakra is the foundation of every jutsu and every technique performed. Those with good chakra control are open to a wide variety of techniques that those with weak chakra control are not" Tsunade said returning the scroll to her bag and drawing out a book.

"I brought this book when I began to take an interest in medical ninjutsu. I used this it all through my training and many people criticised me for relying on one book but it has everything in it and is a fantastic source of information and I've added my own helpful comments on how to perform certain jutsu's and techniques in it. I'm now giving it to you" Tsunade said handing it to her student.

Sakura was surprised but took the book gratefully from her sensei's outstretched hand "Are you sure shishou?"

Tsuande nodded "I've got it memorised and I want you to do the same. Take it on missions to read when you have the time"

Sakura tucked the book safely in her back pack before rising to her feet and Tsunade did the same "There is just one more chakra related item I would like to discuss with you. It deals with the power of emotions"

Sakura looked at the older woman in confusion. "But one of the shinobi rules is to never show emotion"

At this Tsunade chuckled. "That one rule in particular is ridiculous. We are all human and humans feel emotion, if someone you loved was dying would you not cry just because some rule told you not to?"

Sakura shook her head, she couldn't imagine not crying if someone she loved was dying because of some ridiculous rule.

"Didn't think so although in battle emotions can be dangerous. They can cloud judgement and cause rash and dangerous decisions not only jeopardising the mission but the lives of the team. But they can also be immensely powerful. There have been many occasions where a ninja has drawn on superior inner strength despite severe chakra depletion because a loved one's life was hanging in the balance. Emotions should be kept under control if possible but drawn on when needed" Tsunade explained further.

Sakura took in this new information with some relief. She'd always considered her emotions yet another coal added to the burning fire of weakness within her. She never voiced it a loud but Sakura always doubted that rule. Suddenly Tsuande tossed a black blur in the air and Sakura found herself reaching for it, upon closer examination the black blur was in fact a pair of gloves.

"I noticed your knuckles were badly bruised from the punch you did. You're going to have to get used to it but until then the gloves will help" Sakura slipped them on gratefully and faced off against Tsunade as both women took a fighting stance.

"Now to increase your chakra we need to develop your stamina, I'm going to come at you with everything I have. Most of this will be purely defence and evasion on your part but if you see an opening feel free to attack me"

"Hai!" Sakura yelled and the two kunoichi rushed at each other.

* * *

><p>"That will be all for this evening Sakura" Tsuande said<p>

Sakura's resolve broke as she threw herself onto the soft grass completely exhausted. Every inch of her body screamed in protest, she knew she'd be well and truly bruised tomorrow. Tsuande sat down next to her student without a scratch on her; Sakura glared and pulled herself into a seated position despite the pain it caused.

Tsuande reached across and began healing some of the more prominent scratches on Sakura's arm. The older woman had to give the teen credit, she had really let her have it and Sakura didn't complain once. Checking her chakra level Tsuande was pleased to find it had increased a small amount, it wasn't at the level she wanted yet but it was a start. Standing up Tsuande extended her hand to her Sakura who gladly accepted and both females headed for home.

As they reached her house Sakura turned to Tsunade "Um Shishou. Do you think maybe we could keep my training a secret from Team 7? I just don't want them to think I'm being selfish especially after today and the progress we made"

"Alright but you can't keep it hidden from them forever. For now you can claim your healing ability on what you've learnt in the book and your chakra punches can be excused as a result of your chakra control" Tsunade replied.

"Did you want to come in for a minute?" Sakura asked but Tsunade shook her head. "I have to get back to the hospital. I understand you have a mission two days from now correct?"

Sakura nodded, it seemed Tsuande had done her research and Sakura tried to not be too freaked out by it

"Very well, tomorrow we will concentrate on increasing the amount of time you can heal someone for in preparation for your mission. I'll see you then" With that her new sensei disappeared the same way Kakashi had.

"Damn it I am so sick of people disappearing like that!" Sakura grumbled and opened the door.

* * *

><p>It was hard to believe two days had passed and Sakura was waiting outside the Hokage tower in her new training outfit for her team. Yesterday had been even worse than the day before, Tsuande kept pulling fish after fish out of the stream, cutting them in different places and rupturing organs before handing them to Sakura and demand she heal them.<p>

Aided by her new medical book Sakura was able to heal most of the fish but passed out a couple of times due to chakra depletion. Then Tsuande forced her to do more stamina training and Sakura was completely shattered, bruised and in a lot of pain but she felt a little stronger. A strong gust of wind blew and to Sakura it felt strange not to feel her pink hair floating in the breeze, instead it was tied up in a high ponytail. Sakura blew a few loose strands of hair out of her face and tapped her foot impatiently.

"GOOD MORNING SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sakura looked up to see Naruto waving at her in the distance with Sasuke walking beside him. She felt a pang of jealousy at the thought of them becoming closer and leaving her out. But from the annoyed look etched on Sasuke's face it was obvious Naruto had ambushed Sasuke on his way to the Hokage tower.

As the two boys drew nearer Sakura watched and waited to see who would notice her new look first and was not at all surprised that Naruto was the first to notice… and make a huge deal out of it.

"HOLY CRAP TEME LOOK AT SAKURA'S OUTFIT AND HER HAIR!" Naruto bellowed and ran as fast as he could towards her, landing in front of his female teammate. His face was a few inches from hers and he stared at her through squinted eyes.

Sasuke who had his eyes closed opened them with the full intention of smacking Naruto over the head, but instead he caught sight of Sakura and for once thought Naruto had given an appropriate reaction.

"Dobe stop staring at her like that. You're making her uncomfortable" Sasuke said walking passed his two teammates but not before he smacked Naruto across the back of the head.

"Sakura-chan where's your dress and why is your hair up?" Naruto asked curiously. Sakura could feel Sasuke's eyes boring into the left side of her head and breathed deeply.

"I just felt like a change is all. Plus a dress isn't right for a ninja" she said a little uncomfortably.

"Well I think you look great, don't you Sasuke?" Naruto prompted. Sakura looked at her raven haired teammate who simply glared at the blonde boy before snorting.

"Whatever Dobe they're just clothes, it doesn't change anything"

"SASUKE WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A TEME"

"Shut up loser the whole village can hear you!"

"Teme"

"Dobe"

"Teme"

"Dobe"

"**TEME**"

"**DOBE**"

Sakura shook her head and tried to remind herself that Sasuke and his opinions of her were no longer top of the priority list. Naruto who was satisfied with the thought of winning an argument against Sasuke, sat himself on the ground and waited for Kakashi.

Sasuke however was sneaking looks at Sakura and he had to commend her. The clothes she had picked were more sensible for training and missions than that stupid dress was, not to mention flattering to her body.

He was immediately disgusted that the thought had even crossed his mind.

_Stupid, your focus is not that weak girl and the blonde moron but the revenge you need to exact on Itachi and the restoration of the great Uchiha clan,_ Sasuke thought trying to banish all thoughts of his pink haired teammate and her flattering outfit.

"Well hi there team"

Kakashi once again appeared out of nowhere and waved hello to his squad, Sakura could feel her blood boiling.

"Why does everyone have to sneak up on me like that!?" she asked angrily before throwing the doors open and stomping off into the Hokage's office.

Kakashi followed her and noticed the change in her training outfit but decided against saying anything. Apparently that had already caused some drama the silver haired man deduced. Sasuke trailed after his sensei with a bored expression on his face and Naruto brought up the rear end by slamming the doors closed earning him a kick in the face from one of the receptionists.

* * *

><p>"Sasuke I'm at Point B"<p>

"Sakura I'm at Point C"

"Naruto I'm at Point A, believe it!"

Kakashi sighed and readjusted his headset before speaking into the mouth piece. "You're slow Naruto. Okay squad seven..." Just then something shot out of the bushes and leapt into the sky.

"The target has moved! Follow it!" Kakashi instructed urgently through the headset.

Using a burst of chakra, Team 7 responded to Kakashi's order and moved in synchronised form to another clump of trees.

"Over there" Naruto called out spying the target

Quietly sneaking up, each of the squad members positioned themselves, making sure they were in clear viewing distance.

Kakashi's voice echoed through the static. "What's your distance from the target?"

"5 meters, I'm ready just give the signal" Naruto replied.

"I'm ready too" Sasuke said

"So am I" Sakura added

"Okay….. NOW!" Kakashi yelled

All three members of Team 7 shot out of the bushes, Naruto threw himself on top of the target which was in fact a cat. The cat then proceeded to scratch his face off and Sakura smiled in amusement.

"Can you verify a ribbon, right ear?" Kakashi asked.

"Affirmative we got a positive ID" Sasuke replied.

"Right, lost pet Tora captured. Mission accomplished" Kakashi said, ticking off some items on a sheet.

"CAN'T WE GET A BETTER MISSION THAN THIS? I HATE CATS!" Naruto screamed through the headset.

* * *

><p>"Oh my poor little Tora, Mummy was so worried about her little fuzzy kins"<p>

Sakura winced and couldn't help but feel sorry for the cat as the owner embraced it and began hugging it tightly, calling it cute little nicknames. Apparently Naruto didn't feel the same compassion.

"Hahaha! Stupid cat, that kitty deserves to be squashed! Hahaha" The blond boy laughed

"No wonder he ran away" Sakura sighed

Clearing his throat the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi looked through the mission scrolls.

"Now then, for Squad Sevens next mission we have several available tasks. Among them babysitting the chief councilors three year old, helping his wife to do the shopping and digging up potatoes" he read carefully.

"NO! I WANNA GO ON A REAL MISSION! SOMETHING CHALLENGING AND EXCITING, NOT THIS LITTLE KID STUFF! COME ON OLD MAN!" Naruto yelled flailing his arms around.

_He's got a point, _Sasuke thought.

"But he's such a pain" Sakura said under her breath.

"Hmm... I knew this was coming" Kakashi said, the possible consequences he would face from Naruto's disrespect running through his head.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU'RE JUST A BRAND NEW GENIN WITH NO EXPERIENCE. LIKE EVERYONE ELSE YOU START WITH SIMPLE MISSIONS TO DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS AND PROVE YOURSELF" Iruka screamed back at a defiant Naruto. Sakura massaged her temples, with all this yelling she could feel a headache coming on.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS? BABYSITTING IS NOT A MISSION IT'S JUST A STUPID-" Naruto began to bellow again.

Sakura snapped she'd had enough. Between the anger from this morning, her complete exhaustion from her training with Tsunade and the blood pulsing through her brain playing drums in her head she lost it. Stalking forward she raised her fist and threw an almighty punch at the top of Naruto's skull causing a huge bump to appear.

"Will you put a lid on it?" Sakura hissed and Sasuke rolled his eyes. Kakashi sighed and the Third Hokage addressed Naruto.

"It seems you do not understand the tasks you have been given. Listen, many different kinds of requests come into our village every day. From babysitting to assassination, these requests are carefully recorded, analysed then ranked A, B, C or D depending on their difficulty. We ninja are also ranked by ability, Hokage at the top, Jounin, Chunin and Genin at the bottom. At the highest level we select the missions and assign them to ninja who have the appropriate skill and experience. If the mission is successful we receive a fee which supports our village and our work. Since you are untried Genin you are given D rank missions… Hmm?"

"So I had this tantatsu ramen yesterday and I'm thinking miso ramen today" Naruto chattered away completely oblivious to the fact that the Hokage had finished speaking.

"SILENCE!" Sarutobi yelled loudly.

Kakashi scratched the back of his head sheepishly "Oh uh sorry about that"

Naruto however wasn't sorry at all. "YOU ALWAYS LECTURE ME LIKE YOU'RE MY GRANDFATHER OR SOMETHING! BUT I'M NOT THE LITTLE BRAT WHO USED TO PULL PRANKS ALL THE TIME! I'M A NINJA NOW AND I WANT A NINJA MISSION!" he folded his arms and pouted like a toddler.

_I'm going to hear about this later_, Kakashi thought.

At this the Hokage chuckled. "So Naruto wants us to know he's not a brat, he's a former brat and he wants a mission. So be it" he declared.

Sakura looked up "What they're actually going to give us a higher ranked mission just because Naruto threw a tantrum?"

Sasuke seemed equally surprised, if anything Naruto's meltdown should have reduced the quality of their missions not improved them.

"Since you are so determined I'm going to give you a C ranked mission, you'll be body guards on a journey"

Naruto stopped pouting and turned around giving the Hokage his full attention.

"Really? YES! Who? Who? Are we guarding a princess or some big league councilor?" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura felt excitement rush through her. Now she'd get a chance to try out her new techniques and hopefully she'd get some spare time to train alone and look over Tsunade's book more.

"Don't be so impatient, I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor" The Hokage declared.

Team 7 turned their attention towards the door, Naruto wore an eager expression as he imagined who it could be, Sakura smiled in spite of herself at the thought of gaining some lead way with her training and Sasuke smirked at the thought of leaving the village. Perhaps if word got back to Itachi that he was now a ninja, Sasuke would get his shot at revenge a lot sooner.

The door slid open and the first thing Sakura noticed was a bottle of alcohol. That was never a good sign and she soon lost her enthusiasm. Sasuke too dropped the smirk and his face twisted into an annoyed scowl.

"What the? A bunch of little snot nosed kids?" The man stepped forward and began drinking deeply from his bottle.

Sakura looked across at Naruto who was fuming after he heard the word kid. _This is going to be a long mission, _she thought.

"And you the little one with the idiotic look on your face, you really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

At this Naruto burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his…?" Trailing off the blonde boy looked at Sakura and Sasuke before realizing the man meant him.

"I'LL DEMOLISH YOU LET ME GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Naruto began screaming threats.

"You can't demolish the client Naruto it doesn't work that way" Kakashi said holding Naruto back.

After another long drink the man introduced himself. "I am Tazuna a master bridge builder and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely even if it means giving up your life"

Kakashi nodded "Well you heard the man we leave first thing tomorrow morning. Be at the village gates at 5 and pack properly"

With that Tazuna left followed by Kakashi and Naruto taking the left stairway, expecting Sasuke to leave of his own accord Sakura left as well and headed for the right stairwell but was surprised to see Sasuke fall in step next to her.

"Hn. Don't read into it, we live near each other" Sasuke said indifferently.

Sakura smirked "It's hard to read into something that isn't there"

With that the two walked out of the Hokage building in a companionable silence.


	4. The Land Of Waves

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>The morning of the mission to the Land Of Waves, Sakura was dressed and all packed ready to leave for the village gates. Stopping off at the hospital the afternoon before Sakura, visited Tsuande and informed her about the mission. Tsunade had provided her with gauze, ointment, herbs and pills which Sakura had packed in the front pocket of her bag.<p>

_"I know the mission is C-ranked but it's always better to be safe than sorry. I want you to be careful Sakura; you're brand new at this medical training so don't over exert yourself. Conserve your chakra where needed. If possible, rise early tomorrow and train for at least an hour before leaving. Remember that as my student I have a great deal of faith in you. Don't let me down"_

_"Hai Tsunade-sama, I'll do my very best to make you proud!"_

Sakura had obeyed her sensei's request and trained an hour before going back home and getting ready to leave. Her chakra flow was constant due to basic stamina training, that way if Team 7 were attacked early on in the mission she would be able to draw on a constant source of chakra instead of wasting her time trying to gather it in battle.

"Sakura honey, have you got everything?" Sakura's mother Keiko Hurano asked as her daughter entered the living room.

"Yes okaasan you don't need to worry about me and you didn't need to get up this early just to see me off" Sakura replied looking at her mother with concern.

"It's alright sweetheart I didn't sleep well last night anyway" Keiko replied sadly before busying herself in the kitchen.

"Otousan left for a mission didn't he?" Sakura asked quietly.

Mrs Hurano nodded before stirring the pot on the stove. "Yes, Sakura he did. We're supposed to be retired but the village is short on skilled ninja. He left around midnight"

Sakura swallowed hard, fearing the answer to her next question.

"Rank?"

The whole room fell into a deathly silence and by the time her mother answered Sakura already knew.

Putting the spoon down Keiko turned to her only child.

"A. It was an A ranked mission" she said tearfully before embracing her pink haired daughter.

Sakura bit her bottom lip nervously as she hugged her mother. These so called 'one off' missions were becoming more and more frequent. It was almost as if her father wasn't retired. "

With both of you gone I don't know what I'll do" Sakura could feel her shirt become wet with her mother's tears.

"Don't worry, Father will return home safely and so will I. After all I'm only going on a C-rank mission and will be home in a couple of days" Sakura said reassuring her mother.

But truthfully she wasn't so sure, but she had to be strong. Her father was growing to be an old man, too old for A ranked missions at least and Sakura feared for his safety as much as her mother did.

"I'll see you two days from now. Take care and say hello to Father for me when he gets back" Sakura said before waving goodbye and closing the front door of her house.

Walking towards the village gates Sakura inhaled deeply, somewhat glad for the silence and time to think.

"Hn"

Sakura turned to her right to see Sasuke casually walking next to her with his hands in his pockets. Quickly she pasted on a fake smile.

"Good morning to you too Sasuke-kun" she said, her tone teasing at the mono syllable greeting. Sasuke simply glanced at her before smirking.

"SAKURA-CHAN, TEME WAIT UP!"

The voice of the knuckle headed ninja Naruto echoed around the sleepy village, racing up to join Sasuke and Sakura. The genin members of Team 7 headed for the gates of Konoha. As Sasuke and Naruto struck up their usual Dobe/Teme argument Sakura tried to take her mind off the possibility that she could return from the Land Of Waves to a funeral.

* * *

><p>"YEAHHHH! ALRIGHT!" Naruto yelled at the top of his voice.<p>

Not a minute after they exited the village the hyperactive ninja was at it again.

"What are you getting so excited about Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"This is the first time I've ever left the village! I'm a traveller now believe it!" The blonde boy then proceeded to dart around like he'd just eaten too much sugar, annoying the bridge builder Tazuna.

"Hey am I supposed to trust my life to this runt he's a joke!" Tazuna complained.

Naruto immediately froze and Sakura rolled her eyes. This guy really liked to push Naruto's buttons but the problem was Team 7 had to deal with him.

Kakashi chuckled "He's with me and I'm a Jounin so you don't need to worry"

Sakura watched as Naruto stood motionless, she turned to Sasuke who glared at Tazuna echoing her thoughts.

_Why'd we have to get this old geezer to guard? I'm going to cut him down a size right now!_ Naruto thought angrily before turning around and letting the bridge builder have it.

"HEY! Never insult a ninja it's a big mistake and I'm the greatest ninja ever! Someday I'm going to be a Hokage and you'll look up to me! My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Remember it!" The blonde boy yelled.

"Hokage are powerful and wise, you are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage I'll sprout wings and fly" Tazuna said and took another sip from his faithful bottle of alcohol.

Naruto was beyond frustrated. "ARGH! SHUT UP! I'M WILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO BECOME HOKAGE NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES! AND WHEN I DO EVERYONE WILL HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I'M THE TOP NINJA INCLUDING YOU!"

The bridge builder smirked and looked at the loudmouth ninja. "Hmph. You can become Hokage ten times over and to me you'll still be nobody, a loser"

Kakashi sighed and once again reached for Naruto's collar. "I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT RIGHT NOW! HEY LET GO OF ME!"

Tightening his grip on the blonde ninja, the Jounin tugged him back "I told you you're supposed to protect the client not attack him"

Tazuna walked straight passed Naruto and with that the mission had begun.

Unbeknownst to Team 7, two ninja concealed in the trees were paying very close attention to all that was going on and especially close attention to the alcoholic bridge builder. Naruto took the lead and walked a meter in front of everyone; Sakura suspected he was trying to prove himself to the bridge builder who seemed to loathe his existence. She and Sasuke walked on the right side of Tazuna and Kakashi on the left.

Sakura, to take her mind off more pressing matters, decided to voice a question she'd been thinking about since they started the mission.

"Kakashi-sensei, are there any ninja within the Land of Waves?"

"No there are no ninja in the Land Of Waves. But in other countries there are hidden villages with their own customs and cultures where ninja reside" Kakashi replied and Sakura nodded.

"To the people of this content the existence of shinobi villages means strength. Military strength. In other words that's how they protect themselves and maintain the balance of power with neighbouring countries. The ninja villages are not controlled by any government, they're independent and have equal status" Kakashi explained.

"So how does the Land of Waves protect itself without ninja?" Sasuke asked joining the conversation.

"A small island like the Land of Waves has natural protection from the sea, so there is no need for a ninja village. The five ancient lands that possess shinobi villages are the lands of Fire, Water, Lightning and Earth. They each occupy vast territories, together they're known as the Five Great Shinobi Nations" Kakashi replied.

"The birthplace of the five types of elemental chakra right?" Sakura spoke up remember what Tsunade had said. Kakashi smiled at her through his mask.

"Right you are. The Land of Fire has the Village Hidden in the Leaves, The Land of Water: The Village Hidden in the Mist, The Land of Lightning: The Village Hidden in the Clouds, The Land of Wind: The Village Hidden in the Sand and finally The Land of Earth: The Village Hidden in the Stones. Only the leaders of these Hidden Villages are permitted the name Kage which means shadow. These are the leaders, the five shadows who reign over thousands of ninja" Kakashi said finishing his lesson.

"That means Lord Hokage is really important!" Sakura exclaimed but Inner Sakura wasn't having any of it. **"Hmm is that old man really such a big deal? I'm not buying it!"**

_I got him with my sexy jutsu, he can't be that great. Believe it!_ Naruto thought.

_Hn the Hokage's not as great as Kakashi makes him out to be,_ Sasuke mused as he recalled the argument between Naruto and The Third.

"Hey! You all just doubted Lord Hokage didn't you? That's what you were thinking" Kakashi snapped at his team.

Shaking her head vigorously along with the rest of her teammates, Sakura had to wonder if Kakashi could read minds.

"Well anyway, there are no ninja battles in a C-ranked mission. So you can relax" Kakashi said and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

"That means we shouldn't run into any foreign enemy ninja either" Sakura concluded a little nervously.

Kakashi chuckled at the pink haired girl's nerves and failed to see the strange look that passed over Tazuna's face at the mention of foreign ninja.

"Not likely Sakura" Kakashi said and they continued on their way. As they progressed through the forest Sakura had her eyes on the ground when she saw it.

"A puddle? But it hasn't rained it weeks…"

Making a split second decision Sakura grabbed her kunai. "SHOW YOURSELF RIGHT NOW!"

Naruto jumped three feet in the air and Sasuke's eyes widened at her outburst.

"Well well, clever little girl you are but I'm afraid you just cost your sensei his life!"

* * *

><p>Sakura turned around quickly and watched as two ninja rose up out of the puddle. Kakashi was taken completely by surprise as chains shot out from the large metal gauntlets on each of their hands and wrapped around his body constricting him. Wising up to what was going on Sasuke drew out a kunai but Naruto simply stood their staring at Kakashi.<p>

"The Demon Brothers!" The silver haired man exclaimed, barely able to breathe Kakashi tried to get free but said brothers pulled the chains tighter.

"Well look at that Gozu, he knows who we are" One of the brothers said.

The other ninja smirked "He's not the first Meizu. Ready? PULL!"

Together the brothers pulled the chains and tore Kakashi into pieces effectively destroying him.

"K-KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto yelled out as Sakura and Sasuke looked on in fear.

Without their sensei what were they supposed to do? The brothers wasted no time in moving onto their next target, Naruto, who Sakura realised had frozen due to fear or shock. They readied their chains and prepared to do the same thing to Naruto as they did to Kakashi.

"MOVE NARUTO MOVE!" Sakura screamed at him but no avail.

Sasuke however decided to take matters into his own hands and flew into the air. Using a shuriken and a kunai he trapped the brother's chain against a tree.

"I can't get loose" Gozu said to Meizu as they tried in vain to pull the chain out from the tree. Landing on top of their gauntlets much to the shock of Naruto, Sasuke simply smirked.

"That's the idea" he replied before kicking both ninja in the face.

Unfortunately the chain snapped from the gauntlet allowing the Demon Brothers to break free, one went for Naruto and the other went for Tazuna who Sakura was standing a few meters away from. Sasuke knew there was no way he could make it to both to help them in time, he just hoped Sakura had the sense to do something unlike Naruto.

_I've got to stop him! I have to protect Tazuna!_

Sakura immediately put her body between the bridge builder and the chain wielding ninja.

As he got closer Sakura realised she was probably going to die, after all she only had a kunai to defend herself and she couldn't leave Tazuna unprotected. Surprisingly Sakura didn't feel the chains digging into her flesh but instead she found the ninja was reaching around her to get to the bridge builder.

As Gozu got closer and closer to grabbing Tazuna he made one fatal mistake. His free hand uncovered by the gauntlet made contact with Sakura's behind and it was all over. It was the lightest of touches but she felt it, Sakura stiffened and her eye began to twitch.

"**HE TOUCHED OUR BUTT! HE TOUCHED OUR BUTT! DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT? HE TOUCHED OUR BUTT! THAT'S IT BUDDY YOU'RE BEYOND DEAD!" **Inner Sakura roared and took over. Sakura's leg twitched and the terrified expression on her face was replaced with a psychotic look.

"PERVERT I'LL TEACH YOU TO KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF!"

"Wait, what?"

WHAM!

Gozu was sent flying as Sakura aimed a hefty kick at his face; suddenly Kakashi appeared and caught the beaten up Demon Brothers in a head lock

"Hi there" he said nonchalantly.

_Sensei is alive after all!_ Sakura thought and was very glad to see the silver haired man unharmed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the dramatic entrance that, in his opinion, was clearly uncalled for.

Naruto on the other hand stared at the Jounin completely perplexed; turning his head to the spot where the Demon Brothers had caught Kakashi off guard he noticed the familiar pile of logs. "What? He used the Replacement Jutsu again?"

With his grip firmly around both ninja's throats the copycat ninja turned to his loudmouth student who was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that" Kakashi said.

Sakura watched as the words tumbled out of Kakashi's mouth and embedded themselves in Naruto's sub conscious. Although she knew he was doing his best to be gentle Sakura couldn't help but frown at Kakashi's condescension.

Tazuna exhaled a sigh of relief. _So they saved me after_ _all_,he thought as he watched Kakashi approach dragging the two attacking ninja with him.

"Nice job Sasuke, very smooth" Sakura glanced at Sasuke who smirked and nodded at the compliment. "You too Sakura, nice kick by the way"

At this Sakura gave a discreet half smile, fully aware of the intense gaze Naruto had fixed on the group. She could only assume that her blonde teammate was berating himself for not being of more use during the fight.

Naruto shifted his gaze from the group to Sasuke who smirked as if on cue.

"Hey Naruto"

"Y-yeah?"

"You're not hurt are you? Scaredy cat"

Sakura watched the rage bubble within Naruto and shot Sasuke a disapproving glance which he met with a faint look of surprise before rolling his eyes and completely ignoring it.

"SASUKE!" Naruto yelled and went to charge at him but was stopped by Kakashi.

"Naruto! Stand still; these ninja have poison in their claws. We need to take it out of you quickly. You'll have to open the wound and remove it; it's in your blood so don't move around that spreads the poison" Kakashi instructed.

Sakura looked up to see Naruto standing completely still looking petrified at the wound on his hand.

"By the way Mr Tazuna. We need to talk" Kakashi said fixing the bridge builder with an icy look.

Sasuke looked between his sensei and Tazuna in confusion. Taking this momentary diversion opportunity Sakura picked up her bag and slipped away to attend to the blonde boy.

Naruto could only stare as Sakura set her bag down and retrieved the medical book given to her by Tsuande, opening it to the page on poison removal she motioned for Naruto to sit and grabbed his hand gently. Reaching into her ninja pouch Sakura pulled out a kunai and looked up at the hyperactive ninja.

"W-what are you doing Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in a nervous voice.

"I'm going to need to make a small incision into your wound so I can remove the poison. You're going to feel a small amount of pain" Sakura said professionally as she made the slit in the flesh causing Naruto to hiss.

Meanwhile a few meters away Kakashi tied the final knot on the rope securing the Demon Brothers to a tree where they would wait to be arrested. Standing up he fixed Tazuna with a hard glare.

"They're Chunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their specialty is relentless attack; they keep fighting no matter what the sacrifice" Kakashi said.

At this the brothers looked at each other. "Seems like the girl wasn't the only one who knew about our ambush" they said.

Kakashi nodded "Sakura was sharp, she noticed the same key element that I did which gave you away. A puddle in the middle of the day when it hasn't rained for weeks"

It was Tazuna's turn to glare as he looked at the Jounin. "If you saw it too why did you leave the fighting to the Genin?"

"I could have taken them out quickly but then I'd have learnt nothing, I had to know who their target was, and what they were after" Kakashi said as if it were the simplest answer in the world.

Tazuna immediately suspicious turned to the silver haired man "Hm? What are you getting at?"

Sasuke was getting fed up; this man's inability to string together a sequence of events and create a conclusion was annoying him to no end.

"Hn you need to pay more attention. He obviously wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja or if they were after you the master bridge builder."

Tazuna glared at the black haired boy with the attitude, who did he think he was anyway?

"Thank you Sasuke. Mr Tazuna, when you put in your request you asked for standard protection from robbers and highway men. You didn't say there were ninja looking for you, hunting you down." Kakashi scrutinized.

At this Tazuna looked at the ground slightly ashamed, he could feel the disapproving glare of the Jounin and the heavy stare of the Uchiha kid on him.

"If we knew this it would be a B ranked mission or higher, our task was simply to get you to your destination and protect you while you finished building your bridge. If we knew we'd we fielding a task from enemy ninja we would have staffed differently and charged for the cost of B mission. Apparently you have your reasons but lying to us is not acceptable. We are now beyond the scope of this mission" Kakashi declared.

Tazuna's ears went red as he received a severe talking to by the younger man. He couldn't have felt more ashamed of himself; he needed a bunch of children to fight for him. He should have just gathered the money somehow and enlisted the help of some ninja of a higher caliber.

"Hn, sensei we still have Naruto's wound to think about as well" Sasuke piped up and Kakashi looked at his student.

"Yes, you're right Sasuke that could become a problem later on. He needs medical attention" Kakashi said wearily.

Tazuna looked up, that blonde boy had been silent for a while now. Looking around he spied the boy a few meters away being tended to by the pink haired girl. Her hands were glowing green and the bridge builder decided to alert Kakashi to the situation.

"It seems the girl has got everything under control"

Kakashi and Sasuke quickly glanced over to where Naruto was and found their female team member healing the wound.

"What is she doing?" Sasuke asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice. Kakashi smiled through his mask

"She's concentrating her chakra to her hands and releasing it in a constant flow; it's knitting together the skin and closing over the gash. She's mastered a complex but essential technique that requires precise chakra control" Kakashi explained, impressed but confused.

Sasuke nodded and his face reflected mundane disinterest but really he couldn't help but be slightly impressed. Upon finishing healing the wound Sakura reached for the gauze in her bag and began wrapping Naruto's hand in it.

"Thank you Sakura-chan! You're really good at that stuff believe it!" Naruto exclaimed, Sakura grinned and rolled her eyes playfully.

"That stuff is medical ninjutsu and takes a lot of work Naruto"

The blonde boy simply let out a chuckle and Sakura continued to wrap his hand. Sasuke noticed the exchange and glared at Naruto feeling an emotion completely foreign surge through his body. Brushing it off Sasuke followed Kakashi and Tazuna over to his teammates.

"Medical ninjutsu huh Sakura? I hope you won't think it rude of me but how did you learn such an advance technique without proper training?" Kakashi asked. The technique she used reminded had reminded him of his former female teammate Rin.

Mentally the pink haired girl rolled her eyes but plastered on a smile and held up the book Tsuande had given her.

"I learnt it from this book. I was at the library one day when I saw it; it looked interesting so I began reading it. I already have a strong chakra control so it was just a matter of concentrating it" she explained.

Tazuna looked at the girl. "She sure has some intelligence to be able to heal wounds by just reading a book"

Kakashi gave said book a once over before smiling and handing it back to Sakura who put it carefully in her bag along with the left over gauze.

"Well that's a very useful technique to have mastered and now Naruto's wound is no longer a major concern. However Mr Tazuna has lied to us and the ninja that attacked us were of a Chunin level sent by someone to hunt him down. This mission is now a B ranked or higher" Kakashi said gravely.

Sakura and Naruto looked at Tazuna who looked away.

"Now because we're a team we need to make a choice together. Chances are we're going to run into some very advanced ninja and you're just genin fresh from the academy. We need to vote on whether we head back to the village or continue on" Kakashi decided.

"Wow really advanced ninja? I'm not too sure even with the training Tsuande gave me that I'll be able to hold my own. But there is not going back now!" Sakura thought to herself.

"WE CAN'T GO BACK NOW! I WORKED SO HARD TO GET HERE AND THERE IS NO WAY I'M BACKING DOWN NOW! WE CAN HANDLE ANYTHING BELIEVE IT!" Back to his normal self Naruto yelled his opinion forcefully.

"Hn. The idiot is right. We should continue" Sasuke said receiving a glare from Naruto.

"Well that just leaves you Sakura" Kakashi said turning to the girl with cherry blossom hair.

Sasuke turned to look at her as well and predicted that she would insist on returning to the village given her weak combat abilities.

"As ninja it is our duty to help those in need no matter what the peril. Mr Tazuna shouldn't have lied to us but the fact that he did surely highlights how dire the situation must be in The Land of Waves" Sakura said in a determined voice.

The Uchiha avenger looked at Sakura with only what could be described as pride before nodding slowly in agreement. Naruto smiled and gave Sakura thumbs up. Tazuna gave a small smile at the sacrifice this petite girl and her entire team were willing to make for him.

"Couldn't have said it better myself Sakura" Kakashi murmured and it was settled. Team 7 and the bridge builder continued on their way.


	5. The Rouge Ninja: Zabuza Momochi

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>"WHAT? KAKASHI-SENSEI YOU CAN'T EXPECT A GREAT NINJA LIKE ME TO BOARD A BROKEN DOWN BOAT LIKE THAT!"<p>

"Naruto this is the only boat available to take us across. It's a short trip so just put up with it"

"What the hell were you expecting Dobe? A cruise ship?"

"You know for a Hokage wanna be you're very full of yourself"

"GAHH! SHUT UP OLD MAN!"

Sakura sighed; once again Naruto was causing a fight to break out between the male members of her squad and the bridge builder. Standing at the very edge of the pier she could barely see a few meters in front of her, a fog had descended upon the water making navigation next to impossible. The boat they were to travel in looked as though it could fall to pieces at any second.

"DON'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP YOU RUNT!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! YOU'RE LUCKY SENSEI MADE ME PROMISE NOT TO DEMOLISH YOU!"

"OH YEAH LIKE YOU COULD LAY A SCRATCH ON ME. THE ONE WITH THE ATTITUDE STANDS A BETTER CHANCE THAN YOU!"

"ARGGHHH! WILL EVERYONE STOP COMPARING ME TO SASUKE! HE'S NOT EVEN THAT GREAT!"

As Naruto continued to get more worked up he began flailing his fists around trying to get close enough to hit Tazuna. Unfortunately it was not he who was on the receiving end.

"Oh no Sakura-chan watch out!" Naruto yelled in warning but it was too late. His fist connected with Sakura's shoulder causing her to topple forward. Desperately groping the air the blonde boy tried to stop his pink haired teammate from falling in.

A huge splash, some mumbled curse words and two seconds later Naruto emerged coughing and spluttering. Sasuke smirked at Naruto, he had seized Sakura's wrist a second before she fell and pushed Naruto into the water for good measure.

"SASUKE-TEME!" Naruto yelled, shaking the water out of his hair.

Kakashi sighed and reached into the water to help his student out. Sakura looked at the raven haired boy and smiled "Thank you for not letting me fall. You can let go of my wrist now" she said quietly.

Slightly embarrassed Sasuke snatched his hand away.

"Whatever, just stop getting yourself into trouble" Sasuke muttered. Sakura's grateful smile was replaced with a hurt look which quickly turned into a fiery anger.

"**CHA! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? UCHIHA FRICKEN SASUKE OR NOT WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS LECTURING US! IT WAS NARUTO'S STUPID FAULT WE ALMOST FELL ANYWAY!" **Inner Sakura roared.

"Are you getting me to the Land of Waves anytime this year?" Tazuna asked impatiently watching while Kakashi heaved Naruto onto land.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets Sasuke glared at the ground and walked off in the direction of the boat followed by a dripping wet Naruto and a steaming mad Sakura.

"I guess that means yes" Kakashi said in an upbeat voice following his students. Tazuna silently questioned the sanity of the silver haired man.

* * *

><p>As Sakura predicted the fog was thick and visibility was next to nothing as the boat moved out onto the open ocean. The motor was cut off and one of the villagers steered the boat with a stick making the trip twice as slow. Naruto position himself up the front of the small boat and kept a look out. Sakura fixed the bottom of the boat with an intense glare and Sasuke tried his best to ignore everyone.<p>

"The bridge isn't far now, our destination is just ahead, the Land of Waves" Tazuna said.

Peering through the fog Sakura could make out a huge construction site and presumed that to be the location of the bridge.

Naruto was elated "WOAH IT'S HUGE!" he exclaimed.

At this the villager became agitated "What? Quiet! I told you no noise, why do you think we're travelling like this huh? Cutting off the engine and rowing? Moving through the dense fog so they don't see us!"

Naruto stuffed his hands over his mouth but Sakura glanced at the bridge builder. "Exactly who are they?" she questioned.

Kakashi nodded "Mr Tazuna I see you're still keeping the identity of your attackers a secret. I need to know why they're after us, if you don't tell me I'm afraid despite our agreement to continue guarding you, for the safety of my students I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore" the Jounin declared.

The bridge builder looked up at the curious faces of Team 7 and sighed.

"I have no choice but to tell you. Now, I want you to know the truth. Like you said this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow" Tazuna said

"A deadly shadow? Who is it?" Kakashi asked.

"You know him; at least I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet Gatō" Tazuna spoke quietly.

At this Sakura spoke up "You can't mean Gatō of Gatō Transport? He's a business man not a murderer"

Naruto leaned forward eagerly "Who? Who? What? What?"

Tazuna sighed "Gatō. He's a very powerful tycoon from a famous company that's true. But below the surface with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations. He sells drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja"

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, hadn't Kakashi-sensei just told them this country had no ninja?

"It was one year ago when Gatō first set his sights on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply disappeared. In an island nation a man who controls the sea controls everything. Finance, government, our very lives but there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete it will join us to the land and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder" Tazuna explained.

"So that's it, since you're in charge of the completion of the bridge it would make sense that Gatō would be after you. You're standing in his way" Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded "That means those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gatō"

"I don't understand" Kakashi said, frustrated "If you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you. Why did you hide that from us?"

"Because the Land of Waves is a small impoverished nation, even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission it's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore there will be no bridge, they'll assassinate me before I reach home. But don't feel bad about that of course my sweet little grandson will be upset. He'll cry "Grandad! I want my Grandad!" Tazuna said trying to sway the ninja.

_Talk about emotional blackmail_, Sakura thought.

"Oh and my daughter will condemn the ninja of the Hidden Leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow. Ah well it's not your fault, forget it" Tazuna finished, satisfied with himself.

"We have no other choice now do we? We'll have to keep guarding you" Sakura said before muttering something about emotional manipulation.

"Aww I'm very grateful" Tazuna said, sounding pleased with himself.

"The fog is clearing, we must be approaching shore" Kakashi said and the villager nodded before turning his attention to Tazuna "We've been very fortunate, no one has noticed us so far"

The bridge builder smiled grimly as the boat entered a tunnel before breaking through the archway of light at the end to reveal the Land of Waves. Houses were lined up against the shoreline; the whole village was bathed in sunlight which Sakura was surprised by as she thought it would be rather dreary and covered in fog.

Naruto leaped off the boat as Team 7 disembarked, Tazuna lagged behind. "Well this is as far as I can take you, good luck" The villager said before pulling on the motor chord a few times.

"Right, thank you for taking such a risk" Tazuna said. The engine stalled and sputtered before the villager pulled on the rudder and steered the boat away from the dock.

"Alright take me to my home and I mean get me there in one piece" Tazuna demanded reverting back to his usual bossy rude self.

Kakashi had more pressing matters to think about. _The next ninja they send won't be Chunin they'll be Jounin elite ninja with deadly skills_

Sakura considered her surroundings very carefully; making sure her attention did not wander and keeping her chakra senses sharp.

Walking along a similar forest path as the one in Konoha, Naruto and Sasuke struck up their rivalry once more as Sasuke increased pace and fell into step with the blonde ninja.

"Grrr I'm not letting Sasuke get all the glory this time. Believe it!" With that thought in mind Naruto ran forward and began vigorously twisting his head in all directions. "Over there!" he yelled picking up a kunai knife and throwing it into the bushes.

Everyone froze, even Kakashi and stared wide eyed at Naruto who had crouched into a fighting stance

After a few seconds Naruto stood up straight and dusted himself off. "It's okay, it was just a mouse" he said proudly as though he had saved everyone's life.

"YOU PUT US ALL ON ALERT OVER A MOUSE! DAMN IT QUIT TRYING TO DETECT ENEMY NINJA WHO AREN'T THERE!" Sakura yelled angrily.

"Naruto those are kunai knives, they're not supposed to be thrown around carelessly like that!" Kakashi said. Sasuke simply scoffed.

"GRRRRR AHHHHHHH! STOP TRYING TO SCARE ME YOU SCRUFFY LITTLE DWARF!" Tazuna screamed.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A DWARF?" Naruto hollered back.

"Well you are the shortest idiot" Sasuke observed.

"SHUT UP SASUKE! WHY DON'T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS?" Naruto glared at his teammate.

"Maybe because you're a loser?" Sasuke reminded him.

"I'LL PROVE SOMEONE IS FOLLOWING US! THEY'RE OVER THERE!" Naruto said determinedly, throwing another kunai into the bushes.

"I heard something coming from over there as well. He could just be right" Kakashi said and stepped into the bushes to check it out. What he found was a barely conscious rabbit scared half to death.

"Uh I'm guessing this is your enemy ninja then Naruto?" The silver haired man asked, Sasuke took one look at the rabbit and rolled his eyes.

"AH! A rabbit! Oh I'm sorry little rabbit I'm sorry!" Naruto said and began hugging the rabbit to his cheek.

"All this over a rodent" Tazuna said in disbelief.

Kakashi saw it otherwise.

_That's a snow rabbit, but the colour they only have white fur during winter when the days are short and there is little sunlight. This rabbit was raised indoors away from the light which could only be for one purpose, a replacement technique. So they're already here_, he thought.

A man hidden in the trees examined Kakashi carefully and reaching behind himself unsheathed a sword from his back.

"Quick everybody down!"

The silver haired Jounin instructed his team as a blade came spinning through the air and straight for Tazuna. Sasuke threw himself to the ground as did Naruto who let the rabbit escape. Sakura was sprawled in the dirt and saw Tazuna rooted to the spot. Leaping up the pink haired girl threw her full body weight against the bridge builder forcefully knocking him to the ground as the incoming blade landed with a thump and embedded itself in a tree trunk.

"Nice save sweetheart, but it would have been so much easier for me if you'd just let him die" The man from the trees appeared and stood on the blade facing Team 7.

Glaring at him Sakura helped Tazuna to his feet.

Naruto glanced at his sullen teammate "Here it is my chance to shine! Believe it I'm ready this time I'm not going to lose out to Sasuke!"

"Well well if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rouge ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist" Kakashi said identifying the swordsman.

_Rouge ninja? Whatever, nothing is going to stop me! Go!_ Naruto thought, charging forward to attack. But Kakashi stuck his arm out and prevented the boy from going any further.

"You're in the way, get back" he said as Naruto began to get frustrated "But why?!" the blonde boy asked.

"He's not like those other ninja; he's in a whole other league. If he's our opponent I'll need this. This could be treacherous" Kakashi said reaching his fingers up to his forehead protector covering his right eye.

"What does he mean by that?" Sakura wondered as the three Genin members of Team 7 stared at their sensei in confusion.

"Kakashi the Sharingan Eye, did I get that right?" Zabuza said and chuckled darkly. At the word sharingan Sasuke froze and looked at Kakashi.

"It's too bad huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man" Zabuza said, not really considering the situation 'too bad' at all.

"Sharingan? What is that?" Naruto asked, the word completely foreign to him.

Sakura on the other hand, recognized it. "Where have I heard that word before? In something I read perhaps?" she questioned.

Taking control of the situation Kakashi instructed his team "Now quick, Manji Formation protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, now it's time to use it!"

Pulling back his forehead protector Kakashi revealed his eye, the pupil was a blood red with one black dot in the middle and three around the outside.

"AH! His eye! What is that?" Naruto asked "Is it like a super power or something?"

Zabuza too seemed to be impressed "Well looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action, this is an honour"

The blonde ninja was fed up "EVERYONE KEEPS SAYING SHARINGAN SHARINGAN! WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IT IS?" he bellowed. For the first time since Zabuza appeared Sasuke spoke.

"A rare power, it resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu or dojutsu can instantly see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu and ninjutsu and reflect the attack back on the attacker. Sharingan is a special rare form of dojutsu. However there is more to the Sharingan than that, a lot more" Sasuke explained, watching Kakashi carefully.

Zabuza scoffed. "You got it right boy but you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyse an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail"

"I remember now" Sakura said defusing the mounting tension and drawing all attention to her. "Kakashi Hatake, the copy ninja. Famous for his use of the sharingan, it is said that he copied over one thousand jutsu. That's how you earned your nickname right sensei?"

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle "I see you did your research on me Sakura"

Zabuza smirked "In the assassination unit of the Hidden Mist we had a standing order to destroy you on sight; your profile was in our bingo book. Your name is legend"

"Woah that's so cool!" Naruto yelled out in admiration.

Sasuke continued to watch the Jounin deep in thought. _Wait a minute; the Sharingan is a rare trait that only occurs in a few members of the Uchiha clan. My clan. Could he be?_

But there was no time for Sasuke to ponder Kakashi's acquisition of this rare visual jutsu as the air around Team 7 and the bridge builder began to get misty.

"Enough talking. I need to exterminate the old man. Now!" Zabuza spoke calmly.

* * *

><p>Immediately Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto stationed themselves in manji formation around the bridge builder. Sakura covered everything on the left hand side, Naruto on the right and Sasuke in the centre.<p>

"Well looks like I'll be taking you down first Kakashi, so be it" With that Zaubza withdrew the blade from the tree and disappeared.

"He's over there! Standing on the water!" Naruto said loudly and everyone's attention was turned towards the lake where Zabuza was standing one arm raised in a sort of salute. He had two fingers pressed against his lips as though he were creating a jutsu.

"He's gathering a high concentration of chakra at a high speed, this can only mean a very powerful jutsu is about to be produced" Sakura said, her observation skills and chakra reading kicking in.

"Ninja art; Hidden Mist Jutsu!" Zabuza called out before disappearing once more leaving solitary leaf floating in the air which came to rest on the water.

"He vanished again!" Naruto called out.

Kakashi approached the water and spoke directly to his team. "He'll come after me first"

For the first time in a while Tazuna spoke "Who is this guy?"

Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes _Doesn't this man listen to anything? He's worse than Naruto_ he thought.

Kakashi, still somewhat angry at the bridge builder for misinforming them about the rank of the mission spoke in an annoyed tone.

"_This guy_ is Zabuza Momochi, the ex-leader of the Hidden Mist assassination unit and master of the silent killing technique. As the name suggests it happens in an instant without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast you pass from this life without realising what has happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower your guard"

As if on cue the members of Team 7 suddenly realised exactly what was at stake.

Their lives.

Back in the academy the lectures they received on life threatening situations were never taken seriously, how could they be? Well at least Sakura had never taken them to heart, sure she knew about the dangers ninja faced on missions but it was only now that she was in the situation that she could fully comprehend.

"The mist is getting thicker and thicker!" Naruto said wide eyed as the trees and bushes started disappearing under the blanket of white.

"The Land of Waves is surrounded by ocean. The swirling mists are ever present" Tazuna said but Sakura wasn't listening, she could only watch in horror as Kakashi began to disappear before her eyes.

"Sensei disappeared" Sakura said in a quiet voice alerting Sasuke and Naruto to the severity of their situation. "

He knows what he's doing. We just need to protect this guy" Sasuke said which reassured his teammates, just a little.

"Eight points" Zabuza's voice echoed in the silence.

"Larynx"

"Spine"

"Lungs"

"Liver"

"Jugular"

"Subclavian Artery"

"Kidneys"

"Heart"

From her textbook reading Sakura recognised these as the eight most common kill points.

"Now which one shall I choose?" Zabuza asked himself out loud which sent a shiver of terror down everyone's spine including Sasuke.

Kakashi positioned his hands in a releasing sign before gathering his chakra and dissipating the mist surrounding himself and his team.

Sasuke began to shake, overcome by the tension and anticipation of the fight.

"What an intense thirst for blood. One shallow breath one tiny movement of the eye is enough to bring on instant death. If it goes on like this I'll go insane, the clash of two Jounin intent to kill, I've never felt anything so chilling. It's as if my own life is being choked off… N-no I can't bare it! I'd rather take my own life!"

Sakura noticed Sasuke shaking beside her, his hands reaching for his kunai pointing it at his own heart. "Sasuke! Calm down!" she yelled out to him snapping him out of his trance. Sasuke heard the familiar voice of his female teammate and turned his head to look at her.

"We're a team which means we protect each other with our lives. I refuse to let any of you die for me and I hope you grant me the same courtesy" Sakura said seriously.

Sasuke starred at her in shock. Naruto nodded his head.

"She knew just what to say… interesting" Kakashi thought to himself.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that little girl" The rogue ninja echoed.

Zabuza appeared behind the bridge builder with lightning fast speed, Sakura's eyes widened, there was no time for anyone to react as the hidden mist ninja raised his sword

"It's over" he said in a deadly voice.

The pink haired ninja prepared herself for certain death, but instead she was roughly shoved to the ground.

True there was no time for anyone to react, except for those with the Sharingan. Kakashi rushed forward, pushed his team and the bridge builder to the ground before plunging a kunai in Zabuza's stomach. All in a matter of seconds.

Sakura watched the kunai waiting for blood to appear but instead water began to flow out and form a puddle on the ground. "A water clone! So that must mean the real Zabuza…"

A figure appeared behind Kakashi just as he destroyed the water clone.

"Sensei! Behind you!" Naruto called out.

The real Zabuza lifted his blade and sliced Kakashi in half screaming "DIE!"

Expecting another replacement jutsu Sakura was shocked to see Kakashi's remains turn into water. "He created a water clone as well. It must be the work of the Sharingan" she thought to herself.

Zabuza appeared surprised as he watched the water droplets fall to the ground

"The water clone jutsu, impossible he couldn't have….. Even in the mist he saw through my illusion and copied it in an instant" the rogue ninja asked himself in shock.

Suddenly Zabuza felt a kunai knife against his throat.

"Don't move. Now it's over"

"You're finished" Kakashi said pushing the kunai harder against Zabuza's neck.

"Alright!" Naruto yelled out, glad to see that the fight was over and Kakashi had won.

Immediately Sakura knew something was up. _Sensei is a great ninja and all but this seems a little too easy,_ she thought and looked at Sasuke who didn't seem to be letting his guard down either.

Zabuza began to laugh darkly "Finished. You really don't get it do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation. I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you"

Kakashi's eyes narrowed as the Hidden Mist ninja continued to chuckle.

"You are full of surprises though, you'd already copied my water clone. Very skilfully executed, you used that moment to make a water clone while you hid in the mist waiting for me to make my move" Zabuza observed. Tightening his grip on the kunai Kakashi glared.

"Nice try. But I'm not that easy to fool" The voice came from behind him and at once Kakashi knew the Zabuza he was holding the kunai to was a clone.

With a quick strike the water clone was destroyed. "

Hey that one's a clone too!" Naruto exclaimed.

Turning his head Kakashi watched as Zabuza picked up the huge sword and swung at him. Ducking the leaf Jounin was able to evade the swing and the sword landed blade first into the ground. Quickly changing hands Zabuza leaned on the blade for support before aiming a kick at the copycat ninja and sending him flying into the water.

"SENSEI!" Naruto screamed.

"He kicked Kakashi-sensei as though it were child's play" Sakura said as she watched her sensei plummet into the water.

Zabuza speedily retrieved his sword and began to run to the water but stopped suddenly a few meters from the edge. "Makibishi spikes! Trying to slow me down, hmph foolish" he said noticing the spikes on the ground and disappeared.

A few seconds later Kakashi emerged from the water and noticed that the water itself was dense and heavy. _That's odd_

Before the silver haired ninja could even try to escape Zabuza approached him from behind and did a quick series of hand signals.

"Fool. Water Prison Jutsu!" he yelled.

A huge ball of water encased Kakashi leaving him totally helpless. "Escaping into the water, bad mistake" the Jounin concluded.

With one hand inside the ball Zabuza chuckled "This prison is made of water but it's stronger than steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move, so much for the great Kakashi. I'll finish you off later. But first your little friends will have to be eliminated"

Using his free hand the Hidden Mist rouge created a water clone. "One handed! He's even more skill than I thought" Kakashi thought as he watched the clone rise out of the water. Pressing two fingers to his lips Zabuza slowly started to disappear.

"Calling upstarts like you three ninja is a joke. Wearing the headband means nothing if you are not feared and fearsome"

Sakura shuddered involuntarily as his voice echoed.

Naruto looked around frantically "He disappeared again"

Zabuza aimed a kick out of the mist which hit Naruto hard, sending him to the ground. "You're just brats" he said.

Glaring at nothing in particular Sakura decided she was sick and tired of being called a brat.

"Listen, get the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight! He's using all his power to keep me in this prison so he can only fight you with his water clone, but the clone can't go far from his real body! If you get away from him he can't follow! NOW RUN!" Kakashi yelled frantically from his prison

"Run away? Not an option, that became unthinkable the moment you got caught" Sasuke thought to himself.

"No matter how fast we run or how far we go he'll track us down and wipe us out. A manji formation is useless, he can get through it in seconds" Sakura assessed mentally.

"OUR ONLY CHANCE IS TO RESCUE KAKASHI, WE'VE GOT TO DO IT!" Sasuke yelled and charged straight for the water clone throwing shuriken. Zabuza blocked these effortlessly with his sword. Sasuke then lept into the air and attempted to destroy Zabuza's clone from above.

"Too easy" The clone said as it grabbed Sasuke around the throat and tossed him aside like a rag doll.

_Direct attacks just aren't working_ Sakura thought as she watched Naruto charge forward again only to be hit back.

"He's controlling his water clone from a distance, he can't move because he needs to have his hand in the ball of water to keep Kakashi-sensei trapped…. We need to stop attacking the clone… And go for him directly!"

"Sasuke! Naruto! I have a plan!" Sakura called out to her two teammates stopping them in their tracks. "

What is it?" Naruto asked as he and Sasuke walked towards her.

"Foolish brats walking away with your back to a battle….. But since you're going to die anyway I'll humor you. You have five minutes to come up with your little plan before I destroy you three and eliminate the old man" Zabuza threatened menacingly.

Huddling together as a team the pink haired ninja whispered the plan to Sasuke and Naruto who nodded and smirked. "Timing is imperative; we've got one shot to make this work! Okay?" Sakura asked.

"Believe it! We're taking this guy down" Naruto replied

"Hn" Sasuke grunted in response. Both boys broke the huddle and took a determined stance facing off against the clone.

"What are you doing? I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught! Now take off! Your mission is not to prove how brave you are it's to save the bridge builder! Stay on mission!" Kakashi yelled.

"Hm, bridge builder?" Naruto questioned, turning to Tazuna.

"Well I-I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live. But I won't let that stand in your way now. Forget about me and do what you have to do! Go ahead and fight to save your sensei!" Tazuna affirmed.

"Alright Sasuke, Naruto you here that?" Sakura asked.

"You bet! Believe it we're going to save Kakashi-sensei and complete this mission!" Naruto yelled, adjusting his forehead protector.

"Hn, this is becoming annoying. Let's finish it" Sasuke declared.

Zabuza began chuckling like a maniac and the mist became thicker once more. "You really haven't learnt anything have you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja"

Raising his hand to study it carefully, the Hidden Mist ninja looked at the genin of Team 7. "When I was your age this hand had already crushed many opponents"

Kakashi looked at the man who had imprisoned him. "Zabuza, the Demon!" The silver haired Jounin said in recognition.

"Ah, so I was in your book too" Zabuza said somewhat proud of that accomplishment. Team 7 looked completely confused so Kakashi decided to explain.

"Long ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist also known as Blood Mist Village before a student could become a ninja there was one final test"

Zabuza looked at the copy ninja "Do you know about the graduation exam?"

Naruto stared at the older ninja, confused. "What graduation exam"

Again came the sadistic chuckle from Zabuza

"I don't see why you tell us we're pretending to be ninja. We had a graduation test as well" Sakura said getting frustrated, how hard was it to get a straight answer out of this freak?

"Did you have to kill the other students to pass?" Zabuza asked in a deadly voice.

* * *

><p><em>What? He can't be serious! Kill the other students?<em> Naruto thought to himself as he looked to his teammates who wore similar expressions of shock.

"Imagine young ninja like you, eating together training together and then comes the final exam. Only they change the rules: killed or be killed! You can't stop while your opponent still breathes, he was your friend shared your dreams! Now it's him or you" Zabuza said angrily.

"That's barbaric!" Sakura exclaimed loudly.

"Ten years ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist the graduation exam ... changed. One year before a dark evil had filled the school with terror. Without pause or hesitation a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over a hundred other students" Kakashi explained.

"But… it felt so…. GOOD!" Zabuza yelled and the clone charged forward and elbowed Sakura in the stomach knocking her off her feet.

Once she was down clone Zabuza raised his elbow again and brought it down with almighty force, as it connected with her stomach once more a handful of blood shot out of Sakura's mouth.

"SAKURA!" Sasuke yelled out, he and Naruto could only watch in shock as the clone put his foot on their teammate's stomach and pressed hard causing her to scream in pain.

"You know you're quite a pretty one but you're nothing! I've always wondered why they ever made it possible for females to become ninja. They're weak, useless and all they do is let their team down and jeopardise the mission. You've got a lot to say for one so young but your death will bring silence!" Zabuza said as Sakura struggled to get any air, blood dripping from her mouth.

Kakashi could only watch on in horror, helpless to do anything.

Naruto had enough "GET OFF HER! MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" he yelled.

At least 50 shadow clones appeared surrounding Zabuza who looked mildly impressed.

"Shadow clones huh? And there's quite a few of them" he muttered to himself, the clone took its foot off Sakura and reached for his sword.

Gasping and coughing Sakura tried to move but she couldn't. _W-what's happening?_ Looking up she saw she was surrounded by Naruto clones baring kunai knives.

"Alright let's go!" The Naruto clones yelled in unison as they charged for Zabuza. Sakura felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and pull her safely out of fight.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked kneeling in front of her, concern present in his eyes.

Sakura put a glowing green hand to her stomach and weakly summoned a little chakra to heal herself.

"I should be fine, I just need a moment to heal my injuries" she explained and Sasuke nodded and stood up adopting a protective stance in front of her.

With one sweep of his blade Zabuza knocked out all of the clones and hit Naruto back a few meters.

"His skills are too advanced; he's too powerful there is no way to defeat him!" Tazuna yelled "Don't talk like that! You lose hope too easily!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sakura, regaining some of her strength nodded in agreement as she shakily got to her feet.

Naruto pulled out something from his bag and threw it into the air. "SASUKE! CATCH!"

Reaching his arm to the sky Sasuke caught the flying object with ease "DEMON WIND SHURIKEN- WINDMILL OF SHADOWS!" he yelled clearly.

Zabuza could only laugh in disbelief "A shuriken? You'll never touch me with that!"

Jumping into the air Sasuke threw the shuriken as hard as he could, as planned the shuriken bent around the clone and was on course straight for the real Zabuza.

"So, you passed the clone and aimed for my real body... smart. But not smart enough" Zabuza said as he caught the flying shuriken only to be surprised when a second one appeared still heading for him.

"Huh? A second shuriken in the shadow of the first? The shadow shuriken jutsu" the rouge ninja exclaimed.

Tazuna watched the flying object "Maybe they have a fair chance now. He can't catch this one" he thought.

Zabuza however simply jumped over the shuriken keeping his hand inside the water ball.

_He dodged it! These kids don't stand a chance and neither do I_ The bridge builder thought in fear, changing his attitude.

"I told you a shuriken can't touch me" Zabuza said haughtily but this time it was Sakura's turn to chuckle "Who said anything about it touching you?" she said.

It was then that the second shuriken turned into Naruto with a kunai aimed straight for the arm Zabuza was using to connect himself with the water ball.

"Eat this!"

The blonde ninja threw the kunai right on target and Zabuza quickly pulled his hand out of the water prison to dodge the kunai which then destroyed the water clone.

The rouge ninja turned around to face Naruto, blood streaming out of a cut under his eye where the kunai had sliced.

Spinning the shuriken he had caught earlier violently in his hand Zabuza took aim at Naruto. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" he bellowed.

However something blocked the shuriken from going any further.

A spurt of blood and Zabuza looked up to see a dripping wet Kakashi had blocked the shuriken with his hand. Naruto landed in the lake with a splash.

"Well done team, I'm proud of you" Kakashi said.

"The plan was simple; when all the Naruto clones attacked the real Naruto transformed one of them into the shuriken. Sasuke knew about this so he wasn't at all surprised but he spun around so Zabuza wouldn't suspect anything and pulled out his own shuriken. The Naruto clone shuriken hid in the shadow of the real shuriken and his target was the real Zabuza. The whole objective was to free Kakashi-sensei" Sakura said explained.

"I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison" Zabuza said

"Hmph, don't flatter yourself you didn't get distracted, you were forced to let go!" Kakashi said his voice laced with malice.

"Your technique worked on me once but it won't work again, so what's it going to be?" The silver haired ninja asked offering Zabuza a choice.

"Sakura you know what to do right?" Sasuke asked, the pink haired ninja replied with a nod and both ninja position themselves defensively in front of Tazuna.

Zabuza grunted as he pushed the shuriken down harder against Kakashi's hand. Kakashi however replied in kind and with a strong push he sent the shuriken speeding off into the distance. Immediately both Jounin flew back across the water, Zabuza performed a hand sign in mid-air and the sharingan activated immediately.

As soon as Zabuza landed on the surface of the water he began a series of fast and complex hand signs which Kakashi, aided by the sharingan, copied perfectly.

"TORIE!" Both ninja yelled at the same time completing the series of hand signs. "Water Style Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Immediately two water dragons rose up from the lake and began to do battle. The dragons exploded together sending a huge wall of water straight for Tazuna.

"Brace yourself" Sakura warned him as she and Sasuke took the full force of the wave. But Sasuke couldn't help marvelling at the sharingan "There were so many hand signs and he copied them all perfectly, instantly" the Uchiha boy thought.

Underneath their dragons Zabuza attempted to strike Kakashi with his blade which was blocked by a kunai knife. Both pushed their weapons hard against the other.

_Something isn't right; the sharingan can comprehend and replicated the enemy's technique. However both jutsu occurred simultaneously… Could he?_ Zabuza thought as the genin members of Team 7 watched on in amazement.

Undetected by anyone, a masked person was also watching the fight from a distance.

Zabuza lept back only to have Kakashi do the exact same. He then began to run in a circle, Kakashi following him the whole way.

Both ninja planted their feet and Zabuza raised one arm to perform the Hidden Mist jutsu, Kakashi also positioned his arms in the same style.

"He's not just following, he moves the same way at the same time" Sakura said out loud.

"How is he doing that?" Tazuna asked but was given no answer.

"What? Is he reading my mind as well? He looks at me with that eye…" The rouge ninja thought as he did another hand sign which Kakashi immediately copied.

"It makes you furious doesn't it?" Kakashi asked and this sent Zabuza over the edge as he changed hand signs again.

"Ha! All you're doing is copying me, like a monkey! You can't beat me with cheap tricks, I'll crush you!" Zabuza said angrily and his anger only intensified when Kakashi repeated his exact same words.

Again the rouge ninja began a fast series of hand signs "When I finish with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!"

Suddenly a shadow appeared behind Kakashi, the shadow was Zabuza himself.

"It's me! But how? Is it his illusion jutsu?"

But he had no further time to wonder as Kakashi called out.

"WATER STYLE GIANT VORTEXT JUTSU!"

The sharingan began spinning madly as a vortex of water opened up in front of Kakashi and swallowed Zabuza.

"I WAS JUST ABOUT TO CREATE A VORTEXT BUT HE CREATED ONE FIRST! HE COPIES MY JUTSU BEFORE HE CAN EVEN DO IT! I CAN'T KEEP UP!" Zabuza yelled as he spiralled through the vortex which was destroying the landscape.

Sasuke and Sakura once again fought off the onslaught of water, Naruto was able to grab hold of a tree and hoist himself out of the raging torrent.

The stranger with the mask vanished as a wave of water crashed through the trees and washed Zabuza up against one coughing and spluttering. A series of kunai flew through the air and embedded in his flesh.

Kakashi looked down on Zabuza from the branch above "You're finished!" The water slowly began to recede leaving behind a trail of broken tree branches and bushes.

"How? Can you see into the future?" Zabuza asked as he looked up

"Yes, this your last battle ever!" Kakashi replied, kunai in hand ready to strike.

Suddenly two objects came flying through the air and struck two vital pressure points in Zabuza's neck causing a spray of blood. All heads turned in shock towards the directing of the objects to see a masked stranger standing on a tree branch.

"Heh, you were right it was his last battle" A male voice said from behind the mask.

Kakashi jumped down from the tree and ran two fingers along Zabuza's neck, searching for a pulse. Naruto hauled himself from the water and went to join Sasuke and Sakura as they all waited for Kakashi's verdict.

"No vital signs"

Turning his head the silver haired ninja examined the stranger closely.

"Thank you, I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down" The masked ninja said

"By your mask I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist" Kakashi observed quietly.

"Impressive, you're well informed" the man replied.

Naruto jumped in front of the bridge builder "A tracker!"

Sasuke scoffed "Dobe don't pretend you know what that is, you missed the lesson on it"

Before Naruto and Sasuke could start their argument Sakura decided to explain "When a rouge ninja breaks away from his village he carries all kinds of important information, the information of his people. Trackers are specially trained to hunt down these ninja and eliminate them, that way the information doesn't fall into the wrong hands"

"That's correct; I'm a member of the elite tracing unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza" The tracking ninja said.

_From his size and voice he must be the same age as Naruto, yet he's an elite assassin. He's no ordinary kid, but what is he?_ Kakashi thought.

The blonde ninja charged forward breathing heavily and yelled at the tracker "What is this? Who do you think you are? DID YOU HEAR ME?"

"Easy Naruto, he's not our enemy" Kakashi said trying to calm his student down.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT DID YOU SEE WHAT HE DID JUST LIKE THAT? Zabuza was huge and powerful like some kind of monster, and this kid who's no bigger than me! He brought down Zabuza with one move! Like it was nothing! I mean what does that make us? We're just fumbling around, we don't know anything! HOW CAN I ACCEPT THAT?"

Kakashi walked towards the loud blonde boy and placed a hand on his head "Well even if you don't accept it, still it did happen Naruto. In this world there are kids who are younger than you, and yet stronger than me"

Sasuke glared at these words and Sakura simply nodded her head in sad acceptance. The tracker ninja vanished from the tree and reappeared on the ground next to Zabuza's body.

"Your struggle is over for now; I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body; they must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me, farewell"

As the tracker ninja disappeared Kakashi once again pulled his forehead protector over his sharingan, Naruto ran over to the space where the ninja disappeared

"He's gone Naruto, let it go" Kakashi said but the blonde boy dropped to his knees in anger and began punching the ground "WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE? WE'RE NOTHING! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"

"SHUT UP! What because one person is better than you, because one person said you were nothing you're going to believe them! Instead of wasting your time punching the ground and breratting yourself, use your anger to train harder and get stronger!" Sakura said angrily much to the shock of everyone including Naruto.

"Right, in any case we still haven't completed the mission. We have to get the bridge builder to his bridge" Kakashi said trying to defuse the serious mood as Naruto stood up.

"Sorry I caused all this trouble for you. You can rest at my house when we get to the village" Tazuna said in a happy voice.

"Alright, let's get a move on" Kakashi said leading the way, but suddenly he stopped and froze on the spot before falling over and almost landing face first on the ground. Sakura however, was able to catch him in time. "

SENSEI!" Naruto called out as he, Sasuke and Tazuna rushed over.

"Sakura, what happened to him?"


	6. Climbing Trees

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Truthfully Sakura was winging it.<p>

She had only decided to be a medical ninja all of three days ago and had only be training for less than two, so attempting to figure out what to do about Kakashi's eyes whilst under the ever present watch of Sasuke was proving to be stressful.

There had been some cartilage damage which had accumulated overtime, some of it she had healed but some required more advanced medical attention. Focusing carefully on her book, the only lifeline given to her by Tsunade, Sakura considered her next move. Fortunately for her Kakashi began to stir.

"So you're finally awake sensei" Sakura said alerting Sasuke and Naruto to Kakashi's consciousness.

Sitting up in his make shift floor bed Kakashi took in his surroundings. Sakura looked exhausted and was situated closest to him, Sasuke and Naruto had adopted watchful positions from the foot of the bed. Tazuna was nowhere to be seen.

"Well it's good to see all of you again. How long was I out for" Kakashi asked as Sakura began to pack away her medicinal supplies.

"Less than 24 hours" Sasuke replied.

Naruto peered at his sensei through squinted eyes "You're sharingan is cool and everything but maybe you shouldn't use it that much. I mean if you're going to pass out and stuff" he decided.

Kakashi nodded and turned to Sakura "So what's the verdict Doc?" he asked jokingly.

"Not too bad, I was able to repair some severed eye cartilage but I'm not really proficient so you need to see a qualified medical ninja when we get back to Konoha" Sakura said as the door to the room opened to reveal Tazuna.

"So you're awake at last! You took down one of the most powerful ninja assassins so we'll be safe for a while" he said fanning himself.

"But Kakashi-sensei, that guy with the mask, what about him?" Naruto asked, obviously not wanting to let the matter go.

"Like I said he's an elite tracking ninja from the Mist, those masks are only worn by the most elite shinobi. The ANBU Black Ops or Inferno Squad destroy all traces of a rouge ninja's corpse, the shinobi's body contains many secrets. Ninjutsu, chakra, special medicines used on his body these are the secrets of his village, if his enemies find out his people will be in grave danger" Kakashi replied, stifling a yawn.

Naruto nodded slightly but still appeared confused, Kakashi decided to give an example

"For instance if I were to die at the hands of an enemy he would try to analyse my Sharingan, in the worst case my entire jutsu could be stolen and used against our home village. It is the sacred duty of the shinobi trackers to prevent this, to keep the village secrets safe. If a ninja betrays his village the trackers hunt him down and eliminate him and obliterate every trace of his existence that is their specialty"

The Jounin suddenly felt a strange sensation come over him and lifted his hand to his eye covered by the forehead protector _What is this? If Zabuza is finished why do I feel this way? Something is wrong, it's like I missed something… _he thought.

"Hey are you okay? Sensei?" Naruto asked pulling Kakashi out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh yeah, to finish what I was saying. Tracker ninja deal with the body immediately, on the spot so there is no room for error"

"Wait, but that's not what that tracker ninja did. He took the body and disappeared straight away. But he should have worked on Zabuza as soon as possible" Sakura asked, suspicious.

"The weapons he used… they were throwing needles.. No way" Sasuke added equally skeptical.

"Now you're starting to think… see it doesn't add up" Kakashi said.

"WHAT DOESN'T ADD UP? WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?" Naruto yelled loudly, annoyed at being left out of the conversation.

"What are you all yammering about? You demolished that assassin" Tazuna said butting in.

"Here's the truth, Zabuza is still alive" Kakashi declared.

"HUH?" Naruto and the bridge builder shrieked in mutually shock.

"BUT WE SAW HIS BODY BELIEVE IT! YOU EVEN SAID HE WAS DEAD!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

"Kakashi-sensei said there was no pulse, technically he was dead but that was only a simulation" Sakura explained to Naruto and Sasuke.

"That's right. It's all to do with the weapons he used, they're called senbon. They can pierce deeply but rarely kill unless they hit a vital organ, not in the neck. They're modified from needles used for medical treatments like acupuncture. Trackers are trained to know every detail of the human body, causing the heart to stop while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for them" Kakashi stated before being interrupted by a knock at the door.

A raven haired woman walked in carrying a tray of food "Oh I'm sorry, is this a bad time?" she asked slightly embarrassed at being the focal point of attention.

"Not at all, I'm quite starved!" Kakashi said happily as the tray was placed in front of him.

"Team 7 this is my daughter Tsunami. Tsunami the one in the bed is Kakashi, he's a Jounin apparently. The one with the attitude is Sasuke, the girl is Sakura and the annoying loudmouth is Naruto" Tazuna said, his introduction earning him a scowl from all the ninja.

"It's very nice to meet all of you" Tsunami said before taking a seat next to her father.

Sakura decided to continue the conversation where Kakashi had left off.

"So from those two factors we can conclude that the tracker ninja wasn't trying to destroy Zabuza, he was trying to save him" she deduced. Kakashi nodded, chewing slowly.

"Come on you're all over thinking this aren't you?" Tazuna asked cockily and Sasuke shot a scowl in his direction.

"Encountering suspicion the ninja prepares quickly, hesitation leads to disaster. Every shinobi knows this saying" The Uchiha survivor explained.

Naruto was smiling as he tried to repress the joy he was feeling

_He's actually pleased to hear Zabuza's alive. Now Naruto's got another shot at him,_ Kakashi thought as he watched his student.

"Sasuke said we need to prepare quickly and he's right. Given your condition sensei I don't think you'll be up to rigorous training straight away so I was wondering what sort of preparation you are going to give us?" Sakura asked as Naruto and Sasuke looked at their sensei.

"Well that's for me to know and you guys to find out" Kakashi replied scooping noodles into his mouth whilst Sakura gave an exasperated sigh.

"But I have all of you to thank, because of your quick thinking you were able to free me. I have faith in you guys that we can take on Zabuza together. You've all grown… and Naruto, you've grown the most"

_It's true he has become more mature_ Sakura thought as she smiled slightly.

_About time the Dobe stopped acting like a two year old_ Sasuke smirked.

_That moron has grown?! Yeah, right!_ Tazuna thought in disbelief.

"So you've finally noticed Kakashi-sensei! Now things are going to get better! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto yelled out and everyone sighed in frustration.

"I DON'T believe it! And NOTHING is going to be good!"A voice called out in anger and Sakura turned her attention to the doorway where a small boy stood.

"Oh Inari where have you been?" The bridge builder called out as Inari ran across the room and hugged the old man.

"Welcome back grandpa!" Inari said happily.

Tsunami crossed the room and began to lecture her son."Inari that was very rude! These ninja helped your grandpa and brought him here safely!"

Tazuna however waved his daughter aside "It's okay I'm rude to them as well!"

"That's only because we can't kill you or we'll fail the mission" Sasuke said quietly to his team and Sakura tried to hide a smile.

"Mum don't you see these people are going to die! Gatō and his men will find them and wipe them out!" Inari yelled in distress.

Sakura couldn't help but sympathize with him, Sasuke watched the boy carefully as did Kakashi.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY BRAT!?" Naruto screeched.

_There goes that growth sensei was talking about_ Sakura thought as the blonde boy launched into yet another boastful speech.

"Listen up! You know what a super ninja is? Well that's me only a lot better! I'm going to be Hokage! This Gatō or Blatō or whatever he's called is no match for a real hero like me!"

"Ha! There's no such thing as a real hero! You're just full of stupid ideas!" The young boy shot back venomously, Naruto stalked forward fists raised "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

Grabbing his shoulders Sasuke tried his best to pull him back "Naruto calm down already!" he said stoically.

Inari began to walk off but turned back and offered one final piece of advice for Team 7 "If you want to stay alive, you should go back to where you came from"

"Inari where are you going?" Tazuna asked as the boy opened the door

"I'm going to look out at the ocean! I want to be alone" Inari said before leaving the room.

"Uh sorry about that, now if you'll excuse me I have a meeting to attend in town regarding the bridge. Tsunami don't you have some errands to run in town as well?" Tazuna said excusing himself from the room with Tsunami in tow leaving Team 7 to sit in the awkward silence.

Sakura raised a hand to her mouth to cover an involuntary yawn which drew Kakashi's attention.

"Exactly how long have you been attending to me Sakura?" Kakashi asked as a sheepish expression appeared upon the pink haired ninja's face

"Uh um... well not that long really" she replied, rubbing the back of her neck.

Sasuke jumped in "Ever since we got here. She's been up half the night. You're tired and you need to rest" he said with conviction.

Normally Sakura would have interpreted this as a sign of concern for her well being and would gush over how thoughtful Sasuke was, but she knew the Uchiha survivor rarely considered anyone but himself.

"No I don't really I'm okay…" she trailed off.

"Don't be stubborn you're out of chakra and of no use to anyone" Sasuke responded, his words sounding crueler than intended.

"Hey who are you to-" Sakura started.

"Just go and stop being annoying" Sasuke said in an annoyed tone, cutting her off.

"FINE! I'M GOING!" Sakura yelled loudly.

Grabbing her belongings Sakura stalked over to the door, pulled it back viciously and slammed it shut behind her. The loud stomping of her feet up the stairwell shook the ceiling.

"GAH! TEME, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH A BASTARD TO SAKURA-CHAN ALL THE TIME?" Naruto bellowed loudly and look accusingly at the black haired boy

"Stop yelling Dobe; anyway it's her own stupid fault. No one asked her to heal Kakashi, he would have been fine on his own. She's not benefiting the mission with low chakra" Sasuke said glaring at the door.

Kakashi simply sighed and threw the blanket back over his head.

* * *

><p>"<strong>USELESS! ANNOYING! STILL? I JUST SPENT OVER TEN HOURS HEALING SOMEONE AND I'M STILL WEAK! MAN IF TSUNADE-SAMA WAS HERE SHE WOULD HAVE KICKED HIS ASS!" <strong>

Inner Sakura was having a meltdown and mentally choking a dummy of Sasuke Uchiha before stomping on it and then burying it six feet under.

But Sakura was just sad and disappointed all the anger had gone out of her as soon as she'd reached her assigned room, Inner Sakura was only just starting to calm down from her murderous blood vengeance rampage.

_It's not his fault I guess… I mean it was stupid of me to sit there for ten hours draining my chakra_, she mused, the old habit of putting Sasuke up on a pedestal returning.

"**WHAT DO YOU MEAN NOT HIS FAULT? OF COURSE IT WAS NO ONE MADE HIM SAY THOSE THINGS! THOSE TWO DON'T EVEN APPRECIATE HOW MUCH CHAKRA IT TAKES TO HEAL SOMEONE AND YOU'VE ONLY JUST STARTED!" **

Sakura sighed, her Inner was right. Not one person on her squad had bothered to thank her and in Sasuke's eyes she was annoying. Sitting down on her bed she reached into her bag to pull out a photo of her father and mother.

"Father…. I wonder if he..?" Sakura said out loud before vigorously shaking her head. No she couldn't think like that! He would be fine and return home like he had done so before.

Her melancholy thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of muffled sobbing, opening her door and walking down the hallway Sakura reached the source of the noise, it was the boy Inari crying his eyes out.

Sakura immediately felt selfish for being upset; obviously something terrible had happened to this boy. Quietly going back to her room the pink haired ninja immediately put up her hair and was preparing to jump out of the window and head off for some secluded training when there was a knock on her door.

"Uh um Sakura-chan? Are you still angry? I mean you're not going to kill me or anything r-right? Because it was all Sasuke-bastard's fault, I think you did great healing Kakashi" Naruto said nervously peeking into her room.

Sighing Sakura walked over and opened the door, she wasn't really in the mood to deal with anyone. "What is it Naruto?" she said impatiently.

"Kakashi-sensei told me to tell you that training is starting now. Sasuke-teme didn't think you were coming because he said you'd be uh well…" Naruto trailed off not really wanting to elaborate on Sasuke's opinion of her given her previous reaction.

Sakura huffed and turned back to the window, she really just wanted to train on her own. But… perhaps she'd get to spar with Sasuke, she'd probably lose but one nicely aimed chakra punch might beat the arrogance out of him.

Inspired by this thought she pulled on her gloves and turned to Naruto wearing a wicked grin "What are we waiting for?" 

* * *

><p>"Alright training starts now. We'll begin with a review of chakra, a ninja's basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential" Kakashi said expertly.<p>

Naruto had lead Sakura to a forest surrounded by tall oak trees. The pink haired ninja walked straight past Sasuke not even sparing him a glance, Sasuke fixed her with one of his infamous glares leaving Naruto in the middle feeling very awkward.

_Ah young love, the sexual tension is practically rolling off these two…. Even if they don't know what sexual tension is…? Actually it reminds me of a chapter in Icha Icha,_ Kakashi thought as he watched his two students.

"We know about chakra already" came the reply from one very aggravated Uchiha Sasuke to which Sakura responded with an eye roll.

"He's right! Uh a long time ago we learnt about catra!" Naruto agreed.

Kakashi shook his head in disappointment "That would be _chakra_ Naruto"

Turning towards Sakura the silver haired Jounin fixed her with a pleading look which was met with a glare and a heavy sigh.

"Here Naruto let me explain it for you: Chakra is the elemental life energy a ninja uses in jutsu, it's the source of all his power. This energy has two forms, physical and spiritual. These two types of chakra must be brought out together in order to perform jutsu. Hand signs focus and unleash the chakra" Sakura finished her speech.

Kakashi nodded "Right on all points"

"MAN WHAT'S WITH ALL THESE COMPLICATED EXPLANATIONS! THE WHOLE POINT IS TO LEARN THE JUTSU ISN'T IT?" Naruto yelled at an ear splitting volume and Sakura felt the muscles in her arm clench together as she raised her fist to beat the crap out of him.

"Naruto's right for once, we're already using chakra energy in our jutsu" Sasuke said stopping Sakura in her tracks, had he just agreed with Naruto?

Sakura was completely thrown, and then she saw the smirk and Inner Sakura flew into a rage demanding blood. Feeling the impending urge to beat someone or something up the pink haired ninja seethed in silence.

Kakashi reprimanded Sasuke. "No! You've not masted this power you've barely scratched the surface of it!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" Naruto asked/screamed and Kakashi sighed as his surveyed his team.

Naruto was completely angry at the thought of not knowing something that could improve his strength, Sasuke and Sakura were shooting each other dirty looks and each time Sasuke smirked Kakashi swore he could feel the anger roll off Sakura in waves.

"Truly they are a dysfunctional bunch" he mused to himself.

Sakura's change in attitude and considerable development in her ninja abilities over the past two days had attracted the attention of Sasuke, who being the proud Uchiha heir that he was, chose to express this attention in the form of complete belittlement and discouragement taking any opportunity possible to shoot her down.

This in turn caused both a fiery anger and a hidden sadness from the female. Naruto remained as oblivious as ever and his thoughtless and somewhat ignorant comments would often send Sakura over the edge causing her to lash out at him, and Sasuke was now beginning to see Naruto as a potential rival.

"It's just like Sakura said, you have to draw on physical and spiritual energies and then combine them within yourself. Each jutsu required different types of chakra in different proportions; you must select and combine them in exactly the right way. Up until now you've just guessed the proportions hoping they'd come out right. Even if you produce copious amounts of chakra unless you can balance it, it's all worthless" Kakashi explained further.

"So uh how do we change that?" Naruto asked looking at his sensei sheepishly as he remembered his embarrassing transformation jutsu back in the academy.

"Train so hard that controlling your chakra becomes second nature, to achieve this goal you must be ready to put your life on the line!"

That comment drew Sakura and Sasuke out of their death glaring match and all three genin stared at their sensei.

"What do we have to do?" Sakura said a little nervous, surely anything that involved their mortality had to be extremely dangerous.

Kakashi smiled "Climb a tree"

"CLIMB A TREE?" The members of Team 7 yelled at their sensei who winced at their combined noise.

"That's right but there is just one rule, no hands" Kakashi said.

"You can't be serious" Sasuke replied pointedly.

The silver haired man smirked "Oh really?" Forming a hand sign Kakashi approached the tree and put one foot on it, then slowly began to climb it using his chakra.

"He's climbing! Straight up and he's only using his feet!" Naruto said in shock, Sakura too was in awe of his chakra control

"I only hope mine will be as good as that with Shishou's help" she thought to herself.

Sasuke watched and said nothing.

"Well you get the idea, focus the chakra toward the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of chakra" Kakashi said from high in the tree.

Sakura, being top of her class in all things chakra knew the exact meaning of the exercise but Sasuke scoffed at his sensei

"And how exactly does this help us fight Zabuza? Unless he's playing hide and seek in a tree house somewhere this isn't going to be very useful" Naruto let out a slight chuckle as Sasuke finished his sentence with a smirk.

Sakura couldn't fathom this boy, his blatant disregard for anything that wasn't elaborate jutsu's or fighting style. In a sense she took it rather personally. Chakra control was what made her special, allowed her to heal people, to create breakages in the earth, to send enemies flying. Albeit she wasn't exactly a chakra power house but chakra was simple, yet effective. Just because Sasuke Uchiha thought chakra was worthless didn't mean she was going to let him slander the one thing she had in the world that made her special!

"It's the only way to fight him. The idea is to be able to draw a precise amount of chakra to a precise point in the body. It's difficult even for advanced ninja, this type of climbing requires a subtle mix of the physical and spiritual energy and the bottoms of the feet are the most difficult points to focus chakra. The second point to maintain your chakra levels, when a ninja is focused in battle it's even harder to maintain chakra levels which is dangerous. It must become second nature and effortless" Sakura finished and Sasuke glared at her.

"Sorry Haruno but I don't remember you being the sensei" he spat.

"I'm not trying to be Uchiha, I'm simply trying to get it through your egotistical brain that chakra is important" Sakura replied in kind.

"It's not your job, besides what do you care if I think chakra is important or not?" Sasuke declared arrogantly.

"Because if you're not going to put a full effort into this training exercise you're not going to _benefit the mission_" Sakura retorted.

"Well I think-" Naruto started.

"Shut up Dobe, no one cares what you think" Sasuke snapped at the blonde boy.

"Don't tell him to shut up Uchiha; if your arrogant ass is allowed to give an opinion then so is he" Sakura defended Naruto.

"Why do you have to be so self-righteous all the time Haruno? Damn it if I was your father I'd disown you" Sasuke hurled back.

At the mention of her father all the fight went out of Sakura and her shoulders sagged. Hot tears of anger at Sasuke for mentioning him and the village for sending her father away pooled in her green eyes.

Kakashi noticed the change immediately as did Sasuke who felt a twinge of guilt. _Why is her father such a sensitive topic? At least he's alive unlike mine_ he thought, angry at her selfishness.

"Well?" Sasuke challenged.

"Don't Sasuke. Just don't. Kakashi-sensei can we please get on with this exercise?" Sakura asked quietly refusing to meet Sasuke's gaze.

Her sensei nodded as Naruto looked in confusion at both Sasuke and Sakura. "Right, you need to apply the power of chakra through training" Kakashi said as he threw three kunai knives from his position in the tree.

"Use the kunai knives to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb without using your hands. Then try to get passed that point the next time. At first you'll need to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as high as possible. Ready?" Kakashi asked.

"I'M MORE THAN READY! This is going to be no sweat! Remember what you said Sensei; I'm the one that's grown the most! Believe it!" Naruto said fired up and ready.

"You're definitely the one that talks the most, now get focused and do it!" Kakashi replied annoyed.

The genin members of Team 7 closed their eyes and tried to focus their chakra. Sakura's chakra surged through her body at an angry speed at the thought of her father's predicament, Sasuke's words and her own mind telling her she was the weakest link in the team. The pink haired teen inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm herself down, the balanced had to be just right and she wasn't going to get very high if her chakra was spiked and angry.

Sasuke appeared to be having the same difficulty; his mind would not shut up and focus. He was full of questions about Sakura's father and what had happened but also full of anger at the way she spoke to him and the way she stood up for Naruto. That coupled with the fact that another part of his mind was warning him that he was straying away from his goal was making it very hard for him to focus his chakra. Naruto also was struggling as he found his mind wandering.

Eventually all three felt the rush of chakra to their feet and took off running towards their assigned trees. Naruto took a total of two steps before he fell back to the ground hitting his head rather hard, Sasuke fared much better, his chakra was consistent and his mind focused. Suddenly his chakra surged and broke through the surface of the wood, slicing a marker on the tree he did a somersault through the air and landed back on the ground.

"This is harder than I thought; the balance has to be perfect. If the chakra is too strong it smashes the tree and pushes you off. If it's not strong enough you just tumble down, like Naruto" Sasuke thought to himself as he watched the blonde ninja rolling around on the ground and clutching his head.

"That's about what I expected from Sasuke… and Naruto" Kakashi thought to himself as he looked at the ground trying to locate the pink haired girl.

"You might want to try looking upwards, Sensei" Sakura said dryly, knowing full well he would have expected her to be half way between Sasuke and Naruto, still on the ground.

Her voice drew the attention of the male members and all three looked up to see Sakura sitting on a branch high up on her tree twirling her kunai knife.

"Well looks like the female has the most advanced chakra control. Well done Sakura" With a nod Sakura accepted the praise graciously

"YEAH! Way to go Sakura I always knew you were awesome. Believe it!" Naruto yelled out although the fact that she had done better than him annoyed him slightly, Sakura smiled kindly at Naruto.

"Whatever" Sasuke said and turned his attention back to his tree. The pink haired girl rolled her eyes and on the outside portrayed an indifferent facade.

"Well not only does Sakura understand chakra, she can control and maintain it as well. Though it's hardly surprising considering both medical ninjutsu and chakra infused taijutsu require precise chakra control. We spoke about someone becoming Hokage, looks like Sakura has the best chance of that. As for the great Uchiha clan… Well maybe they're not so great after all" The Jounin declared happily.

At these words Sasuke and Naruto turned to glare at each other and Kakashi smirked in satisfaction at a job well done. The only person not benefiting from the praise was Sakura herself.

She wasn't gullible and took Kakashi's praise with a grain of salt; she knew he said those things not to make her feel proud of herself but to motivate Sasuke and Naruto. She was a pawn. A tool to be used and then forgotten. The one moment she was given to shine ripped out from underneath her and utilized for the benefit of her teammates.

The pink haired ninja knew what her sensei was thinking; Sasuke and Naruto had far more chakra within than she did, even back at the academy, thus if they could master this jutsu they'd be an asset to the team.

"More like they'd have enough chakra control and strength not to need a third person" she murmured to herself.

Jumping down from the tree Sakura landed gracefully on her feet, she clenched her fists at the thought of all the years she had squandered away not training. Now she had to start from scratch trying to build up a strong chakra reserve.

"Sakura, since you've managed to climb the highest you've got the rest of the day off! Perhaps you can assist Tsunami with the preparation of dinner for tonight, I'm sure Sasuke and Naruto will be starving when they get back" Kakashi told her smiling as Sakura watched Naruto hit his head on the ground again.

"**WHAAAATTTT?! HOW DARE HE? HELLO! NINJA! WE'RE NINJA. SEE THE FOREHEAD PROTECTOR BUCKO? IT'S JUST BECAUSE I'M A GIRL ISN'T IT! I HAVE A MIND TO PICK UP SOME POISON ON THE WAY BACK AND ADD IT TO YOUR FOOD!" **Inner Sakura raged.

Sakura bit back her anger at the sexist comment, she understood Kakashi-sensei was injured but he could have offered to train her in any other jutsu or given her an important task.

She was to prepare dinner for her team, like a housewife with no ninja abilities whatsoever. Before when she was a giggling fan girl with no serious interest in being a ninja other than spending time with Sasuke, she would have left the training grounds thankfully, claiming exhaustion and so on. But really Sakura hadn't even raised much of a sweat; Tsunade-sama's training was far worse.

"Hai sensei, I'll see you all when you return" Sakura nodded she would find time to train by herself at some stage.

"Wait Sakura-chan hold up!" Naruto called out as she turned to leave.

"Yes Naruto?" she asked, walking up to the blonde boy whispered his request quietly "Hey you're good at this, how about some advice but please don't tell Sasuke I asked please please!"

Sasuke looked up from his position on the ground; Naruto had never been good at quiet so he'd heard him asking for assistance and couldn't help but feel the same feeling he felt when Sakura was healing Naruto's hand. Sakura knew Sasuke was listening and lowered her voice so he couldn't hear her.

"Chakra requires spiritual energy so if you let your emotions get the better of you it doesn't work. It's a good idea to relax and focus solely on the tree, that way you receive a better chakra flow at the bottoms of your feet" Sakura said.

Naruto grinned "Thanks Sakura-chan! See you at dinner!" he said before speeding off back to his tree.

* * *

><p>Tsunami busied herself in the kitchen, her family had not received this many guests in quite a while and she was left to prepare a healthy and nutritious dinner to feed two extra boys and a man.<p>

"Men have such ravenous appetites" she muttered to herself as she pottered about the kitchen chopping sage and stirring soup.

"You're right about that" A female voice said before laughing lightly.

Tsunami turned around to see the female member of Team 7, knife in hand chopping the rest of the carrots.

"Sakura what are you doing back so soon? I wasn't expecting you and your team back until at least later tonight" Tsunami said a little panicky as she opened the pantry to look for some spices.

"I actually finished the exercise pretty quickly so Kakashi-sensei sent me back here to give you a hand!" Sakura said with fake enthusiasm.

But the thought of being excluded from training made her chop a carrot a little too hard causing the slice to wiz through the air and knock over a bottle of sake. Tsunami fixed Sakura with a look that made her want to spill everything.

"So uh is there anything I can do for you?" Sakura asked nervously.

"Not at the moment… oh wait! I forgot I need two lemons and some strawberries for desert. When I went to the grocers they said there might be a new shipment coming in this afternoon. Would you mind?" Tsunami asked.

"Don't worry I'm on it. Cooking isn't really my forte anyway" Sakura smiled, fastening her ninja pouch to her waist the pink haired ninja departed for town.

Walking down the street Sakura felt privileged to live in Konoha. Her village had reliable allies, prosperous trade with other nations and hardly anyone was destitute. With ninja's around crime wasn't a problem and neither was defence of the village if need be. But at the moment the Land of Waves looked like a terrible place to live.

There were homeless men and women wearing signs around their necks asking to work for food, starving children who had nothing to eat. A few approached Sakura who gave them as much of her money as she could afford. Walking into the grocers Sakura noticed the absence of food, there were a few vegetables here are there but not as well stocked as the stores back home. If anything she felt guilty about purchasing the goods and Sakura decided she'd pay for them with her own money, after all Team 7 wasn't really contributing anything towards their accommodation.

"HELP SOMEBODY HELP ME! HELP!" A shrill female voice screamed.

Sakura dropped the groceries immediately and ran towards the cries of help as did others in the store. Pushing through the crowd of people Sakura rushed to the side of a woman who was kneeling on the ground sobbing.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sakura asked frantically.

The woman looked up through tear-filled eyes and saw the Konoha headband.

"YOU! You can help me! Oh please my babies! My children!" The woman pleaded grabbing Sakura's shirt.

"What's happening to your children? Tell me quickly so I can help!" Sakura asked as calmly as she could.

"Gatō's men! They're after my children; they robbed me and tortured my husband! They're going to kill them please! My house is in the eastern village! Hurry!" The woman said through tears.

Nodding Sakura sped off pumping chakra in her legs for greater speed, kunai in hand. The groceries lay in the dust long forgotten.


	7. Inari's Story

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>The setting sun indicated they'd been at it for almost four hours.<p>

Sasuke and Naruto fell to the forest floor for the umpteenth time, the former landed gracefully and turned to look at the blonde ninja who (only three hours ago could barely get one foot in front of the other) was now catching up to him. But how?

Naruto had no idea what he was doing until…

"Sakura" Sasuke muttered to himself as he remembered the pink haired teen whispering something inaudible to Naruto.

She'd obviously given him some sort of advice on how to focus his chakra better because as soon as she left Naruto began catching up to him. Although his Uchiha pride would never allow him to admit it, Sasuke was angry and a little envious that she had chosen to help the blonde boy instead of him.

Not that he needed her help in the first place…

Naruto on the other hand was getting progressively angrier. It seemed that every time he thought he had enough chakra up to make it all the way up the tree, it would just fizzle out and he'd be sent falling back to the ground.

"WHY IS THIS SO HARD?" Naruto yelled loudly drawing Sasuke's attention and both ninja froze glaring at each other.

_No! No! No! If I think about Sasuke I'll lose my concentration! Believe it! Come on Naruto centre yourself! Remember what Sakura said…. Relax; focus on the tree _Closing his eyes the knucklehead felt a surge of chakra pool to the bottoms of his feet

"Yeah! I can feel it! I'm going all the way this time!" Completely sure of himself Naruto charged at the tree once more.

"Hey Naruto" Sasuke called out completely taking his teammate by surprise and the blonde boy's face connected with the ground once more.

"AHHH! SASUKE WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I WAS TRYING TO FOCUS MY CHAKRA!" Turning to face the Uchiha prodigy Naruto fixed him with a glare.

"Well uh the thing is" Sasuke said, he couldn't believe he was about to do this.

"Yeah, the thing is what?" Naruto asked folding his arms, intensifying his glare

"Y-you know, you asked Sakura for advice when she was here. So what did she tell you?" Sasuke replied, eye twitching and cursed himself for stuttering, Uchiha men did _not_ stutter.

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise before his mouth formed a huge grin. Sasuke immediately regretted his asking for help.

"I'm not telling you"

* * *

><p>Racing across the rooftops Sakura could feel the fear rising within her.<p>

This was the first time she would be going into a fight without a team to back her up.

The first time she'd be standing on her own against the enemy.

Her first proper fight out of the academy as an individual.

Questions flew through her mind, how many men would there be? Would she be able to last against them all and most importantly would she be too late?

Suddenly from the air she spotted a group of about 5 men surrounding a little girl who was holding a young baby boy.

"HEY LOOK HERE YOU BIG MEANIES! YOU CAN'T HAVE MY HOUSE AND YOU CAN'T HAVE MY BROTHER SO THERE!" The girl yelled with a volume that would rival Naruto as she stuck her tongue out at the menacing looking men, clutching the bundle of blankets that held her baby brother close to her chest.

"You've got a big mouth kid, now we've tortured your father and robbed your mother so all that's left to do is exterminate you two and the house. All your precious possessions will belong to Gatō" Laughter broke out among the thugs.

"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY PARENTS!" The little girl screamed and one of the men stepped forward to silence her permanently, Sakura knew it was now or never.

"Leave them alone!" A blur of pink flew through the air and Sakura managed to wedge herself between the children and Gatō's men.

Drawing a kunai knife out she adopted a protective stance and glared at the men who began to leer at her."Well, this must be the female leaf ninja Zabuza told Gatō about. You'll be a fine prize to take back with us!"

Sakura could only stare in shock, Kakashi-sensei was right, the mist ninja was alive.

Seeing that he had let vital information slip a man with sandy blonde hair advanced forward to dispose of the pink haired girl.

WHAM!

CRASH!

"I told you to stay back and leave these children alone!" Sakura said with conviction as her fist connected with the man's face

"**OH YEAH THAT'LL SHOW THEM!" **Inner Sakura jumped up and down in her head waving pom poms, dressed as a cheerleader.

"Mozu!" Three of the five men ran over to help up their leader who spat out a handful of blood before glaring at Sakura.

"Right, you'll pay for that slut. Get her!" Sakura readied herself, the first man came at her head on- a punch thrown directly to his solar plexuses left him gasping for air. No sooner had she disposed of him that another two came at her from the left and right hand side.

"TAKE THIS!" One of them yelled as he brought his sword down upon her arm whilst the other aimed a kick at her stomach. Making a quick tactical decision Sakura blocked the kick but allowed herself to be sliced by the sword.

The sword wielder smirked as Sakura hissed in pain and her arm began bleeding profusely. The gash stretched from her shoulder blade to her wrist and incapacitated her left arm.

_I'll heal it later_ Sakura thought as she aimed a hefty kick at the man who had tried to kick her and successfully ruptured his spleen.

"Two down, three to go" she muttered to herself as she supported her bleeding arm.

The ground began to change colour from earthy brown to crimson red and the little girl whimpered. The pink haired girl turned around and smiled "Don't worry, I won't let these men touch you I promise" she said.

Turning back to face her opponents Sakura immediately performed the hand signs for the shadow clone jutsu. She and five of her clones charged forward as Sakura broke the sword welders jaw and snapped the other man's wrist as Tsunade had instructed, leaving the leader remaining.

"Impressive, you are a strong one. But I'm afraid it's too late for you, you've lost too much blood and you're going to get fatigued very quickly. The world will start to spin and you'll faint like a weak child. Then I will kill these two children and you" Mozu said snarling

"He's right; I can't go on like this for much longer. I have to finish this now before I pass out! I won't be weak again!" Sakura's mind was determined but her body was less willing and she fell to her knees, the world began spinning before her.

Through hazy eyes she watched as Mozu got closer and closer. Her body demanded sleep going into a comatose state due to her extensive blood loss. It was over, she couldn't do it anymore. Who was she kidding? A medical ninja? Her?

So she'd put on some new clothes, stopped fawning over Sasuke and learnt a few new tricks from an alcoholic big chested blonde woman. That didn't make her a ninja let alone a qualified medical one, especially in the space of two days. It was like she was playing pretend doctor, a childish and naïve pursuit.

"**ALRIGHT SAKURA THAT'S ENOUGH! YOU NEED TO SNAP OUT OF IT RIGHT NOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE DOING THIS TO YOURSELF AGAIN! I'M SICK AND TIRED OF YOU DOUBTING YOURSELF"** Inner Sakura said angrily drawing Sakura out of her hazy condition.

"But Inner don't you see I'm losing too much blood, those poor children. He's getting closer…"

"**No! It's not over until you stop breathing! Do you want to be forever remembered as the girl who gave up and just let death consume her! GET UP AND FIGHT DAMN IT! DO IT FOR THOSE KIDS AND DO IT FOR YOUR FATHER! WHAT WOULD HE SAY IF HE SAW YOU NOW ABOUT TO GIVE UP ON EVERYTHING?" **Inner roared.

_Father… No I can do this! I CAN!_ Sakura thought as she felt anger flood her body.

Here she was giving up while her father was probably fighting for his life, for her mother and for her. She couldn't even fight to defend two children against a bunch of thugs! More and more anger surged and chakra poured into her fists as she clenched them together in frustration.

"I'M NOT WEAK!" Sakura screamed and threw her glowing green fist into the side of Mozu's jaw.

The thug promptly lost a large portion of his teeth and was sent flying into a vendor's cart, demolishing it completely. Getting shakily to her feet Sakura stormed forward with the full intention of destroying the man when sobbing drew her attention.

The little girl clutched her baby brother tightly as she buried her face in the blankets and cried.

"Hey, don't cry little one, it's all over now" Sakura said making eye contact with the girl and smiling.

"W-what's your name" The girl asked her.

"My name is Sakura, Sakura Haruno and yours?"

"Mika and this is my brother Tadao" Mika replied, Sakura smiled and ruffled the little girl's hair.

"MIKA! TADAO!" A woman's voice called out and the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the empty street.

"Mother we're down here!" Mika called out as her mother came running followed by a group of scared looking town's people.

They quickly became agitated at the sight of Sakura's blood painting the ground. The older brunette woman embraced her children and immediately started inspecting them for any injuries or signs of harm.

Sakura smiled at the fussing and began to heal the gash on her arm with what little chakra she had left over as the citizens watched on in amazement. Upon closing over the last of the opened skin the female ninja turned to Mika and her mother who had been watching in shock at the healing jutsu.

"Mother this is Sakura; she saved me and Tadao from those bad men. Sakura this is my mother" Mika said as Sakura shook hands with the older woman.

"My name is Reiko and I'd like to thank you for saving my children, I am sorry about your arm, you clearly have lost a lot of blood" Sakura offered a weak smile and attempted to brush it off but Reiko wasn't having any of it. "You must come in and rest, you need to eat" she ordered.

Going into mother mode the woman spoke firmly but gently, Sakura knew she couldn't win against a mother on a mission and offered a small nod of thanks.

The crowd of villagers dispersed muttering about ninja's abilities and the girl with the strange coloured hair leaving Reiko, her children and Sakura remaining.

* * *

><p>Opening the door to her house Reiko carried a now sleeping Tadao and Mika upstairs with the promise of her speedy return once she got her children settled.<p>

Sakura whirled around at the sound of the front door creaking and was faced with a gruesome scene. A middle aged man coated in blood with branding marks, burn marks, slices and cuts and evidence of every kind of painful torture covered pale skin. Sakura assumed his identity as Reiko's husband and quickly rushed to his aid, guiding him to the sofa.

The medical apprentice tore open her bag and began sorting through all of her supplies; she knew she wouldn't have enough chakra to heal the entire body without assistance from non-chakra related materials.

As she remove his shirt Sakura couldn't help but feel sick to her stomach, three blood red deep lines had been embedded in his chest leaving the impression that he had been bound to something extremely tight.

The man lapsed in and out of consciousness from time to time as Sakura healed him with her chakra, bandaged his wounds and rubbed herbal cream on the weeping sores.

"Atsushi! Is he alive?" Reiko's voice was quiet yet fearful as she laid eyes upon her injured husband.

Sakura nodded in answer to the woman's question as she continued to concentrate on the job before her. Atsushi stirred and murmured his wife's name; the pink haired girl helped him into a sitting position.

"I'm sorry, they cornered me and I gave them the location of our house. I'm sorry sweetheart" Atsushi said as he hung his head in shame.

"It's okay, they're safe now. I'm afraid I must apologise as well, they snuck up behind me and stole my purse. Our money for the week is gone" Reiko said sadly and her husband embraced her as she began to cry tearfully.

Sakura reached into her bag and pulled out the purse she had taken from the unconscious body of Mozu.

"I believe this is yours then, some part of me wondered why he was carrying a purse in the first place" Sakura chuckled slightly and handed the object over to Reiko who gave her a genuine smile, unshed tears glimmering in her eyes. Atsushi however regarded her with more suspicion.

"Who is she Reiko?" Upon recognising the ninja headband Atsushi got shakily to his feet"Ninja are not welcome around here. Ninja have destroyed this place"

Sakura looked hurt and made a move to leave when Reiko chastised her husband

"Atsushi-kun! How dare you! Sakura-chan has just saved your life and she protected our children from Gatō's men! She is most certainly welcome around here" Reiko scolded.

The tips of Atsushi's ears turned a visible red as he scratched his head sheepishly at his wife's scolding in a way that reminded Sakura of Naruto."Sorry about that Sakura-san, I wasn't aware of what you have done for our family and now that I am I would like to thank you for protecting my wife and children"

Sakura smiled and nodded in thanks, it was nice to be appreciated once in a while.

Reiko had gone to the kitchen and returned with three bowls of ramen, Sakura gratefully began eating not realising how hungry she was.

"So Sakura, how long have you been a ninja for?" Reiko asked

"Five days now I believe. Or perhaps it's six I can't remember" Sakura replied in between mouthfuls of ramen.

"Six days! And your village gives you such a dangerous mission?" Atsushi asked in horror as he almost choked on his noodles.

"Well to be fair to my village we were duped into thinking that this was a C ranked mission but it is now classified as an A ranked mission" Sakura said.

"You're not here alone surely? You have a team with you?" Reiko pressed further.

"**As if, we have one perverted sensei that's a sexist pig, one stuck up Uchiha who thinks the whole world revolves around him and one complete airhead loudmouth blonde. They all regard us as nothing and we're better off without a team" **Inner Sakura commented and Sakura herself was half tempted to say that comment out loud.

"Yes I have a team, my sensei is Kakashi Hatake and my teammates are Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha" Sakura replied as she finished her ramen.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality but I have to get back to Tsunami-san, I dropped her groceries on the way over here so I hope the store isn't shut" Sakura stood up and walked over to the kitchen to clean her bowl.

"Wait, Sakura what groceries do you need?" Reiko asked as she gathered the dishes and left her husband who was now sleeping soundly.

"Two lemons and a strawberry I believe, Tsunami-san needed them for desert" Sakura replied. "But I wouldn't even think about asking you for food, I know how little everyone has in this country and I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I came home empty handed" the female ninja continued.

Reiko shook her head and smiled "You're quite the noble one Sakura but don't you worry, follow me and I'll show you my little secret"

Opening the back door Reiko led the teenaged ninja to her well stocked vegetable/fruit garden. Picking up two lemons and a punnet full of a freshly picked strawberries Reiko handed them to Sakura with a smile.

"Don't even think about protesting, it's the least I can do. Now your teammates won't go hungry!" Reiko exclaimed happily. Sakura offered up a weak smile and tried to ignore Inner Sakura's pleading that they die of starvation.

"Are you alright? Every time I mention your team you get this look on your face like you want to kill something?" Reiko asked suspiciously and Sakura turned red with embarrassment

"Uh no I'm fine, I really should be getting back now. I'll maybe see you around?" With that the pink haired girl sped as quickly as she could without chakra leaving Reiko to wonder exactly what her team had done to warrant such a look.

* * *

><p>"Hehe, this is fantastic! It's been ages since we've had so many guests around our table" Tazuna said happily as Team 7 gathered around the dinner table to eat.<p>

Sakura was beyond disgusted; Naruto and Sasuke had come back from the training exercise, unsuccessful and even more competitive. Tonight's competition appeared to be who could eat the most in one sitting.

Naruto shoveled rice into his mouth with one hand and ate a lump of bread with the other; he was eating so fast Sakura had to wonder how his body found time to breathe in between mouthfuls. Sasuke was a little more elegant but nevertheless he downed his rice in record time and began tearing apart his bread as though he hadn't eaten for days.

"I WANT SOME MORE!" Both male ninja declared and stood up with empty bowls, seeing that they had tied again the boys began to glare viciously at each other before bending over and throwing up violently.

"What's the point in eating so much if you're going to throw it up?" Sakura asked in annoyance as she tried not to lose her appetite.

"I have to eat" Sasuke replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"And I have to eat more than him; it's the only possible way I'll get stronger" Naruto added and both boys smirked at each other.

"That's true, but puking won't help you" Kakashi said bestowing his worldly wisdom upon his two male students.

The topic of dinner conversation was Sasuke and Naruto's training session and how much they were improving. Naruto was loud and boastful as always, Sasuke quiet but obviously proud; Inari said nothing and preferred to stare at his dinner. Tazuna made fun of the ninja and their 'stupid' training and was promptly scolded by his daughter.

Nothing was mentioned of Sakura's achievements during the training session and the pink haired teen bit back the urge to tell everyone at the table of what she had done today, the praise of Reiko and her husband was received gratefully but Sakura wanted her team's praise.

She wanted Kakashi to congratulate her _sincerely_, she wanted Sasuke to remove the stick that was lodge up his backside and treat her as an equal and she wanted Naruto to realise what was going on for a change and be proud of her.

"Hey kid, kid… KID! WHY DO YOU KEEP STARING AT THAT PICTURE?" Naruto's loud voice drew Sakura out of her thoughts as he addressed Inari.

"My name is Inari not kid and the picture is none of your business" Inari replied annoyed and Naruto growled loudly.

Sakura looked up and saw the picture depicted a beaming Tsunami, Tazuna and Inari but in place of a fourth person there was a massive rip.

"It appears there was a fourth person but they've been torn out. Is there some reason for this?" Sakura observed quietly and immediately the three civilians stiffened.

After a few minutes of silence Tsunami spoke "It's my husband"

Sakura sensed this was a sensitive topic for her and decided not to press it any further.

"They used to call him a hero in this land" Tazuna replied and sipped his tea, immediately Inari got up from the table and left the room.

"Inari where are you going? Father you can't talk about him in front of Inari! You know that!" Tsunami said before rushing out of the kitchen to follow her son.

"Is there a story behind the way Inari acts?" Kakashi asked and all heads turned to Tazuna who began to speak

"He wasn't his real father; he came into our family later. But he brought so much happiness; he and Inari were very close. In those days Inari used to laugh all the time, but then all that ended. He never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since the day everything changed!" Tazuna said as hot tears of anger and sadness fell from his eyes and plopped one by one onto the table.

Team 7 was shocked, this was the first time they'd seen the man they were assigned to protect actually caring about somebody else but himself. The ninja waited in silence for their client to continue.

"The word courage was stolen from this island, we were left powerless, hopeless and Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day ever since it happened" Tazuna said and busied himself with refilling his cup, determined not to look at any of his protectors.

"What happened to Inari?" Kakashi asked curiously.

"First you need to know about the man, his father, the man who taught us the word courage, who was a hero in this land." Tazuna said taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes.

"A hero really?" Naruto asked amazed

"You can decide that for yourselves, he came here about three years ago. Inari had been constantly picked on by the older boys in the town, one day they surrounded him and threw him into the ocean. Inari couldn't swim and he began sinking to the bottom when someone saved him. His name was Kaiza a simple fisherman come here from another land to follow his dreams" Tazuna recalled and all of Team 7 listened attentively, even Sasuke.

"After that Inari and Kazia were inseparable, the boy had never known his real father so you can imagine what it meant to Inari to have him in his life. He looked up to him and followed in his footsteps like a real son. Kazia spent more and more time with us until he naturally became a member of our family. But then, when this town needed him he became something more. He taught us all the meaning of courage and Inari was so proud to be his son. But something happened..." Tazuna trailed off.

"He took on Gatō didn't he?" Sakura asked quietly as she felt a twinge of sadness for her own father. Meeting Sasuke's eyes she quickly looked away but for a second thought she saw a flash of regret.

"Yes, Gatō arrived and terrorized the whole village; Kazia was the only one who was brave enough to stand up to him. Gatō couldn't have a local hero getting in his way- it took his whole band of men to bring down one man. But Kazia suffered the worst fate- public execution as an example for the rest of us. Even worse was Inari had to witness it- he was there to see the killing of his father. Since then Inari has changed, so did Tsunami and all our people" Tazuna finished quietly.

The story came to a sad conclusion and Kakashi surveyed his team to see how they were taking it.

Sasuke had his eyes trained on the table, not looking at anyone and not speaking to anyone which was not entirely different from normal except his face held inexplicable sadness.

This was the first time since meeting the Uchiha prodigy that Kakashi had ever seen him sad and he could only guess the cause must have been the story triggering painful memories about the Uchiha massacre. As if Sasuke could read minds the sadness was replaced with a blank look, void of emotion.

In Naruto's case Kakashi could only read determination, a determination to prove Inari wrong and to show him that there are heroes out there in the world, but also a similarity was shared between both, Naruto never knew his birth father and neither did Inari. Naruto grew up fatherless as Inari would but at least Inari had a family whereas Naruto had none.

Finally Kakashi came to look at the female member of Team 7. Since she was said to be quite emotional during the academy Kakashi expected her to be crying or staring at Sasuke or both but his eyes widened when he realised she was long gone.


	8. Team 7 vs Zabuza: Part 1

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Kunai knives flew through the air at remarkable speed. Lengthy kicks and sturdy punches were thrown with huge force and dexterity as though a life depended on their contact. The straw dummy which had (at one stage) been intact was now losing life as vast amounts of straw littered the ground.<p>

Sakura stood in the grassy area breathing heavily, her pink hair which normally would have been tied up cascaded down her back in waves. Her large forehead was covered in sweat as strands of pink stuck to her face, scratches and marks of dirt evident on her arms and face.

The training had done her good; she had used Inari's story and taken her leave before anyone could notice her absence.

"They probably think I've gone to cry somewhere or something. That's fine I don't want them here anyway" Sakura murmured to herself.

Eyes fixed on the ground Sakura began walking forward, occasionally bending over to pick her embedded kunai in the grass. Satisfied with her training, the pink haired girl seated herself under a cherry blossom tree.

The pink petals were getting harder to see as it got darker and Sakura knew she'd better be heading back soon. Interestingly enough her father proposed to her mother under a tree exactly liked this one and consequently due to her candy floss coloured hair, she had been named after it.

This was the first time she and her father had both been away leaving her mother behind. During the academy days, she had overnight training sessions and all day 'missions' but they were always conducted in the safety of the village.

But lately her father had been called to higher ranked missions, so Sakura and her mother would stay up together and talk.

_I always spoke about Sasuke…. I was so blind and selfish_ Sakura thought as she remembered back to their late night conversations.

She would blab on and on about Sasuke and how great he was and how Ino didn't stand a chance against her. Her mother would try and talk to her about her day as she would to her husband, but it wasn't long before Sakura overruled that and the topic was once again turned back to Uchiha Sasuke.

Closing her eyes the young girl attempted to relax her thoughts and focus on her breathing.

_Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale…_

"Ohayou I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" A female voice penetrated her ear drum and Sakura opened her eyes to see Tsunami looking at her carefully.

Smiling the ninja shook her head and the older raven haired woman took a seat next to her under the tree.

"I'm very sorry to hear about what happened to your husband" Sakura said quietly.

Nodding her head Tsunami knew it would only be a matter of time before Tazuna discussed it with their guests.

"It's alright; in a way I think it was inevitable. Kazia was such an outspoken figure I always knew if new powers were to come into control of our land that he would not stay quiet. It hurt at first… to know they tally of important people I'd lost was now totaled at two. But as you've probably heard Inari suffered the most. Sadly as a mother there are things I cannot provide for him that a father could"

Sakura absorbed the elder woman's words as she gazed out onto the moonlit training ground.

"Family… is very important" she remarked and Tsunami agreed silently.

"You know Sakura; you're the first of your kind to come into this village"

This comment piqued the pinkette's interest and she fixed Tsunami with a confused looked.

"Do you mean the first female ninja?" Sakura asked.

Chucking slightly Tsunami nodded her head. "Yes in a way I suppose you are, but I mean you're the first person to come here and show genuine compassion and a sincerity to help us. Reiko informed me of what you did for her and Atsushi" she remarked.

"Oh, well I'm sorry I kept that from you I just didn't expect her to-" Sakura trailed off.

"Blab? Yes well I've known Reiko since we were children and she's never been one for keeping secrets"

"It's not that I didn't want to tell you it's just that I um" Sakura paused, trying to decide how much she should say.

"It really isn't any of my business why you don't want to share your achievements with your teammates Sakura, but I have to wonder what exactly it is you have to hide from them?" Tsunami asked forcefully.

And that's when Sakura spilt everything. The transition from wearing her heart on her sleeve to letting barely anyone in had taken its toll and the teen ninja was glad of someone to listen.

She spoke of her father and the fears she held that he wouldn't return home, she spoke of her mother and how she'd never been left in the village alone before. She told of her wanting to become a medical ninja and her secret training with Tsunade.

Sakura spoke her feelings of inadequacy in comparison to Sasuke and Naruto, the clear favoritism Kakashi showed towards them and the growing worry in the pit of her stomach that she was being forgotten and left behind. But most of all she spoke of a fear of being weak and unimportant.

Taking in a shaky breath Sakura tried to calm herself, Tsunami had done what she'd wanted someone to do ever since they'd set off for the Land of Waves.

Listen. She was an impartial judge, someone who didn't know anything about Konoha or the way of the ninja, and someone who could take what she was going through at face value. Or so she hoped.

_This girl is going through quite a lot for someone her age. Imagine a ninja at only 12. Exposed to the world for its caprice and cruelty_ Tsunami as she pondered the emotional baggage that Sakura had just dumped on her.

"I see. I don't know what I can say that will make it better but I can say I am willing to listen. It's obvious you can't talk to anyone in your team about it" Tsunami said.

Standing up the raven haired mother offered her hand to Sakura who took it gratefully and both began walking back to the house.

* * *

><p>The sun glistened brightly high in the sky as Sakura stretched her stiff arms and wiped the small beads of perspiration from her forehead.<p>

_Damn it, it's only eight in the morning and I'm sweating already_ she thought.

Sasuke and Tazuna stood patiently beside her as Kakashi fare welled Tsunami; they had woken early as Tazuna had a shift at the bridge and stubbornly refused to leave without protection. Strangely enough there was an absence of bright blonde hair.

"Okay, I leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed his body to the limit, overdoing it as usual. So he may not be able to move today at all" Kakashi said smiling through his mask at Tsunami.

"What about you, you're still recovering!" The raven haired woman argued in protest but Kakashi simply waved her off claiming he was fine.

At the impatient urging of Tazuna, Team 7 departed minus Konoha's knucklehead ninja.

Because of Tazuna the journey to the bridge took twice as long, Sakura wanted to send chakra to her legs and speed off into the trees but unfortunately that was not the case.

The bridge builder gossiped away to Kakashi like an old married woman and the younger man simply reached into his pocket and pulled out his Icha Icha book, nodding occasionally to give the impression he was listening, not that Tazuna even needed that as he spoke more than a hundred miles an hour.

This of course left Sakura and Sasuke walking side by side, awkwardly.

"**OOOOOOHHHH HE MIGHT BE A TOTAL JERK BUT DAMN THAT BOY'S LOOKIN FINE!" **Inner Sakura swooned and Sakura frowned. _So much for giving up the whole annoying fan girl phase huh Inner?_

But Inner Sakura wasn't having any of it and continued to dream about Uchiha babies and wedding bells; the pink haired teenager couldn't help but shake her head at her Inner's ridiculousness.

Marrying Uchiha Sasuke used to be her top priority and now it had been replaced by protecting her own life in combat, Sakura cringed inwardly with embarrassment that her own mortality wasn't a priority from the beginning.

Sasuke watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye and felt… _annoyed_.

Who did she think she was anyway? One minute she was all Sasuke-kun this and go out with me that and now she had the nerve to stand up to him and defend Naruto.

"_Sasuke? What was that all about?" Kakashi asked Sasuke disappointed; Naruto stared accusingly at the Uchiha prodigy. _

"_How exactly is it my fault that she left?" Sasuke asked angrily and Kakashi simply shook his head "No I was referring to the comment you made about her father" _

_Naruto looked curiously at Kakashi "Sensei, did you hit your head hard or something? Sakura-chan's father is fine! He's back in Konoha!" _

_Kakashi sighed at his blonde student "I know that Naruto but it was still rude, Sasuke you need to learn to accept her as your teammate and as an equal. You treat her worse than you treat Naruto and your attitude towards teamwork needs an adjustment" _

_Naruto nodded "Yeah Teme, it won't kill you to be nice to Sakura-chan!" _

Sasuke sighed quietly to himself and Sakura's ears pricked up before she turned to him.

"Is something wrong Sasuke?" Her voice sounded concerned but her eyes were challenging, daring him to insult her.

"Hn, I'm fine" Sasuke replied in an even voice and Sakura smiled slightly at him to which Sasuke responded with a smirk and both tempers were quelled. The two teen ninja's continued walking behind their sensei and the bridge builder.

"HOLD ON! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS!" Tazuna yelled loudly alerting the three ninja, Sakura hadn't even realised they were on the bridge until she looked past the older man to find all of the citizens who had been working unconscious and lying face down on the ground.

"What happened? Someone was here someone got to them!" Tazuna yelled loudly as a thick mist began to clog the air around them.

"Zabuza" Sakura muttered to herself as Sasuke nodded as both teens took up positions on either side of Tazuna with Kakashi flanking the front.

"I knew he was still alive" Kakashi said as the ninja squinted through the fog.

"Sorry I kept you waiting Kakashi; I see you've still got those brats with you. That one is still trembling" Zabuza said from somewhere in the mist referring to Sasuke.

Sakura blinked and in a second they were surrounded by eight clones.

"I'm trembling, with excitement" Sasuke said smirking and with Kakashi's permission lept forward in a flash and destroyed all eight clones.

"So you could see they were water clones huh? The brat's improving, looks like you've got a rival Haku" Zabuza said now fully visible in the mist, the 'tracker ninja' Haku standing beside him.

"So it seems" Haku replied acknowledging Sasuke's quick eyes

"Well sensei, looks like we had it right, it was just a cute little act with a mask" Sakura said smirking and Kakashi chuckled "Yes it seems we did huh?"

"So I guess all that about being a tracker ninja protecting his village was just a bunch of bull!" Tazuna said angrily and Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes at the older man's late realisation.

"That's it I'm taking him out, who does he think he is hiding behind that mask like a clown" Sasuke said with confidence glaring at Haku.

"He is quite impressive you know, even though those clones were only at one tenth of the strength of a normal water jutsu he took them down without breaking a sweat" Haku remarked quietly to Zabuza.

"Whatever, that move still gave us the first advantage, now use it!" The rouge ninja replied seemingly unimpressed with Sasuke.

Immediately Haku started twisting and turning like a tornado at an incredible speed and headed straight for the Uchiha survivor.

_What the hell is going on? _Sasuke thought as he watched Haku advancing towards him.

"He's spinning fast to confuse him but if I inform Sasuke at the right time… or wait I'll help him…" Sakura muttered as she made a move to charge forward and help Sasuke.

"Sakura! Stay back and protect Tazuna, let Sasuke handle this" Kakashi yelled out before Sakura could move an inch, Sasuke nodded his head in agreement still focused on Haku.

Breathing in and out sharply Sakura retreated back and stood in front of the bridge builder in a protective manner, trying not to let her anger cloud her thoughts.

After all they were in a battle and Kakashi was a Jounin so it was safe to say he knew best. Besides her interference at that point could have had horrible repercussions for the team.

With that new attitude in mind and Inner Sakura safely contained Sakura drew herself back to the battle in time to see Haku finally stop spinning and Sasuke block the senbon needle with a kunai knife.

Both weapons shook with the pressure their owners were applying, the high pitched sound of metal scrapping on metal echoed loudly.

_So he can keep up with Haku's speed huh?_ Zabuza thought as he watched the two dance and spin around each other before their weapons clashed once more.

"We want the bridge builder not you, if you back down we won't have to kill you" Haku said in a monotone voice but his words were lost on Sasuke. "Save it" he replied smugly.

"You're making a mistake, you won't be able to keep up with my speed" Haku persisted and suddenly Sakura realised.

"He's trapped one of Sasuke's hands, which means he only has one hand to defend himself… But then again Haku only has one hand free as well… unless he's going to do..."

"Sasuke he's going to pull a one handed jutsu! Watch out!" Sakura yelled loudly causing Tazuna to jump.

"Impossible, how did she see that, even before I did it..." Haku said while quickly doing the hand signs.

_The girl's quick, not as sharp as the boy when it comes to seeing in combat but quick of the mind_ Zabuza thought as Haku stomped his foot on the floor of the bridge completing the jutsu.

"Secret Mist Jutsu, A Thousand Needles of Death"

Clouds of mist began to gather overhead and Sasuke quickly anticipated Haku's move.

"Focus, remember the training, like Sakura said; _the idea is to be able to draw a precise amount of chakra to a precise point in the body_… I need to summon my chakra at once and direct it to my feet!" The Uchiha boy thought.

The clouds of mist quickly turned into needles and fell straight from the sky covering Sasuke in a cloud of smoke as Haku leapt out of the way. Looking over to where Sasuke should have been lying down covered in needles.

"He vanished" The fake tracker ninja exclaimed and Sakura couldn't help but smirk.

Thanks to the chakra projection he sent to his feet Sasuke was high in the air and began to throw shuriken at Haku who dodged them all with ease before coming to a stop to find Sasuke right behind him.

"You're not as fast as you think; from this point on you'll be the one defending against my attacks!" Sasuke declared.

They danced around each other again and came to a mute standpoint until Sasuke pulled out a kunai with his other hand. Haku crouched down low to avoid it and the Uchiha prodigy was able to land a roundhouse kick to his face, sending the enemy ninja flying back a few meters to where Zabuza stood.

"That's impossible, no one is as fast as Haku" The rouge mist ninja watched the raven haired boy carefully, there was obviously something special about that kid.

"Thought you were quicker huh? Now what else are you wrong about?" Sasuke taunted as Kakashi smiled.

"You made a big mistake calling these ninja brats, that's just bound to bring out Sasuke's attitude. He's the best young fighter of the Hidden Leaf and Sakura here is our sharpest mind and a promising young medical ninja. Last but not least our number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja is Naruto Uzumaki" The Jounin stated proudly.

"**OH YEAH! ABOUT TIME WE GOT SOME RECOGNITION!" **Inner Sakura yelled in satisfaction as Sakura tried and failed to look modest about the compliment.

Sasuke also looked pleased but Zabuza thought little of this and began to chuckle loudly. "Haku if we keep going like this we'll be the victims instead of them. Get on with it!"

Annoyed the Haku rose slowly and nodded at Zabuza before a blue chakra began emitting from his body. "What's that?" Sasuke asked in a strained voice.

"I'm sorry it's come to this" Haku said.

Sakura stared at the boy with the mask before she felt the temperature drop. "It's so cold, what's he doing to the air?" she thought.

The female ninja could only watch in horror as Haku performed another jutsu which began to enclose himself and Sasuke in a circle of ice mirrors.

As if it were the most normal occurrence on the planet Haku casually stepped into the closest mirror and created an identical image which was replicated on each ice mirror confusing the Uchiha boy.

"They're mirrors, but how?" Sasuke wondered aloud as Sakura examined the mirrors from a distance. Kakashi charged forward with the intention of smashing the mirrors and breaking Sasuke free when Zabuza quickly blocked his path.

"If you enter this fight, you fight me! Your boy has no chance against that jutsu" Zabuza stated smugly as Kakashi's eyes narrowed.

Suddenly a barrage of needles flew from each of the mirrors, each piercing the skin and drawing blood from Sasuke. The kunai which the black haired Uchiha prodigy had been using to defend himself flew out of his hand and landed at Sakura's feet. Sasuke cowered on the ground, whimpering as the needles rained down upon him.

"I must help Sasuke. I'm sorry Mr Tazuna I have to leave you for now" The old man stared at the pink haired teen who spoke quietly yet determinedly as she stooped down and picked up the kunai.

"I understand. Do what you must for your teammate" Nodding Sakura propelled herself forward ignoring Kakashi's shocked cries and leapt into the air before flinging Sasuke's kunai with remarkable speed.

Haku noticed the kunai speeding towards a now defenceless Sasuke and tried to intercept the flying object but Sakura was faster and the kunai landed in front of the Uchiha boy, who smiled slightly and proceeded to get shakily to his feet clutching the weapon. However this momentary lapse in concentration had pulled Haku out of his mirror leaving him open to receive a shuriken to the head.

_Where on earth did that come from?_ Sakura thought as she watched Haku fall from the mirror and hit the ground. A huge cloud of steam blocked the view of the mysterious stranger; Kakashi and Tazuna looked on in amazement whereas Sasuke already knew who it was "That idiot, such a show off" the Uchiha boy thought, mentally rolling his eyes.

"Number one, hyperactive knucklehead ninja" Haku said identifying the attacker as he rose from the ground.

The steam cleared and there stood the blonde ninja wearing a huge grin. "Naruto Uzumaki is here! Believe it!" Sakura's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"**THAT MORON! WHY WOULD YOU REVEAL YOUR POSITION LIKE THAT AND BE ALL COCKY ABOUT IT!" **Inner Sakura wasn't having any of it but Naruto was too pre occupied with his speech to Haku to notice his female teammate's simmering rage.

"You know how in stories the hero usually shows up at the last minute and kicks butt? Well that's what I'm going to do right now believe it!" Naruto exclaimed proudly.

Kakashi sighed at the ignorance of his loudest and densest student. "If he had held his position he could have been so much more useful to us. Oh well it is Naruto I'm talking about." Zabuza was also unimpressed with the appearance of the third member of Team 7.

_That boy_ Haku thought as he recalled the interaction between himself and Naruto in the woods.

_Sasuke's still trapped in the ice mirrors, what exactly is Naruto going to do? Does he even have a plan?_ Sakura wondered as she fell back to flank Tazuna, with Sasuke's heroic fight and Naruto's grand entrance the pink haired teen couldn't help feeling useless.

"ALRIGHT! You're history! Shadow clone jutsu!" Kakashi's eyes widened with shock as Naruto called out his signature move, but Zabuza quickly reacted by throwing four shuriken with great force towards the blonde boy.

"NARUTO MOVE!" Kakashi yelled but the shuriken were travelling too fast. Suddenly Haku threw four senbon needles into the path of the shuriken, negating their attack and all the weapons fell to the ground.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? THIS IS A BATTLE NOT A TALENT SHOW!" Sakura yelled loudly, her temper getting the better of her. She couldn't believe the recklessness of Naruto and neither could Kakashi who proceeded to lecture his student.

"Sakura is right. Don't let your opponent see your jutsu. The shinobi's art is deception, always keep the enemy guessing. Even when executing a single jutsu, one must distract their opponent's attention, catch them off balance and out manoeuvre them. You're a human target when you enter a battle like that" Kakashi said tiredly.

"AHHHH I'M SORRY! I JUST WANTED TO RESCUE EVERYBODY!" Naruto bellowed at an ear splitting volume as he had a panic attack taking in Kakashi's words.

"But that doesn't explain why you stopped Zabuza's shuriken" Sakura spoke up looking at Haku as did everyone else.

"Haku what are you doing, protecting him?" Zabuza asked angrily but Haku kept his face straight forward looking at Naruto through his mask."Zabuza, this boy. Allow me to fight him my own way. Please"

Naruto watched the masked man carefully "Bring it on then" he said.

Zabuza chuckled "So you want me to leave this to you Haku? Is that what you want? As usual you're too soft"

Sasuke's ears pricked up at the word soft. "Soft huh? I guess he's right, look at these wounds. He cut me up with those needles but he didn't hit a single vital spot. Why? Is he just trying to humiliate me?"

"I'm warning you!" Naruto yelled "One way or another I'm going to rip off that mask and take you apart!"

Haku simply stared at the boy in silence. "It's impossible, Naruto can't match this kid. I've got to-" Kakashi trailed off before attempting to advance forward and help his blonde student when Zabuza blocked his path.

"Don't even think about it. You know the score, if you go after Haku I go after the bridge builder"

Sakura's fists clenched as she saw Kakashi give her a quick glance before deciding to stay where he was. "He obviously doesn't think I can protect Tazuna myself…" Sakura mumbled in dismay as she turned her attention back to Naruto and Haku.

"That mask! And your bogus story! You were with Zabuza all along! You think you can get away with a stunt like that!" Naruto asked angrily.

"I'm sorry, but as your sensei said deceiving your opponent and catching them off guard. That is the art of the shinobi. Don't take in personally" Haku replied in an unfailing monotone voice.

"And while you're jabbering I'll catch you off guard!" Sasuke thought as he threw the kunai knife Sakura had given him from behind the glass mirrors and straight for Haku who dodged it in a split second. "I haven't forgotten about you, not for an instant" Haku said to Sasuke.

Naruto looked at Sasuke through the mirrors. "So that's where he is, he's pinned down and can't move"

"Some warriors accept defeat gracefully; they know when they are beaten. Others do not. So be it, let us finish our battle then. To the death!" Haku said before calmly stepping back into the mirrors.

"What the hell is he?" Naruto asked himself.

Back inside of the mirror fortress Sasuke prepared himself, seeing only one mirror image he assumed that this was the real Haku.

"I'm behind you" A quiet voice said and the lone Uchiha survivor stiffened. "He transported himself in an instant! How?" Sasuke asked himself.

Once again the mirrors began to fill with the image of Haku.

In a second another barrage of needles came raining down upon Sasuke, as Naruto and Sakura looked on in shock.

_What is that? Sasuke's getting all ripped up and I can't even tell where the attacks are coming from!_ Naruto wondered in desperation.

Sakura watched on in horror as Sasuke was cut by the needles.

_What kind of jutsu is this? Could he be using clones? Hiding them in the mirrors and having them throw the needles? No it's too fast for that. If it was just a clone jutsu then he wouldn't need the ice mirrors, those mirrors are the key to his attacks! _Sakura thought.

"NARUTO! SASUKE! THINK! You need to attack from the outside and the inside at the same time to figure out how the mirrors work!" Sakura yelled out much to the surprise of Zabuza and Kakashi.

The Uchiha boy understood immediately "Yes! It's all about positioning and Naruto and I are in the perfect position. If I attack him from in here and Naruto hits him from the outside we can do it-"

"Hey I snuck in here to save you! Pretty cool move huh?"

Turning around Sasuke came face to face with Naruto who had managed to get himself inside the ice fortress.

"**DAMN IT NARUTO THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT AT ALL! YOU SNEAK UP ON YOUR OPPONENT NOT YOUR ALLY!"** Inner yelled.

Sakura couldn't help but feel the urge to smack her head against the ground and Sasuke wasn't fairing much better.

"YOU'RE A COMPLETEL LOSER! YOU'RE A SHINOBI THINK CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU MOVE!"

"WHAT THE HECK'S YOUR PROBLEM? YOU SHOULD THANK ME FOR COMING IN HERE TO HELP YOU!"

"NARUTO IF WE'RE BOTH INSIDE HERE… AHH FORGET IT I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR MISTAKES!"

"AND I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR ATTITUDE BELIEVE IT!"

Kakashi shook his head "Naruto's building a reputation as one of the most clueless ninja in history. The more he helps, the worse things get"

Sasuke face palmed in frustration "That's it! I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!"

Doing a quick series of hand signs the Uchiha prodigy got to his feet. Naruto looked up at Sasuke in amazement "Hey what attack are you using?"

Holding the jutsu the raven haired boy turned to his teammate. "The mirrors are made of ice, how do you destroy ice? Figure it out!"

"FIRE STYLE, FIRE BALL JUTSU!" Sasuke yelled.

As the huge fire ball spread out towards the mirrors both boys watched in horror as the jutsu had no effect on the mirrors.

"THAT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING AT ALL!" Naruto bellowed as Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"You'll need much more heat than that to melt this ice" Haku said before drawing the needles again.

There was a blinding white light and suddenly Naruto and Sasuke were thrown back, covered in needles.

"Where is he!? Where is the needles attack coming from? Are they clones? We've got to find the real one!" Naruto said, clenching his fists angrily.

"Look into every mirror as hard as you like, you will never learn the secret" Haku responded and Naruto snapped.

"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" he yelled in defiance.

Sasuke watched in horror as one hundred clones were produced.

"You've got a hundred mirrors? Then a hundred of me will smash them all!" Naruto declared.

Charging forwards the clones and Naruto attempted to smash each mirror but Haku was faster.

Before any of the clones could get anywhere near the mirrors, the masked boy destroyed each one of them with a senbon needle.

The real Naruto fell to the ground badly injured and unable to get up.

"These mirrors only reflect my image, allowing me to transport myself at light speed. Through my eyes you appear to be moving in slow motion" Haku said.

"I knew it!" Kakashi exclaimed and Sakura turned to face him "It's a bloodline trait, a Kekkei Genkai"

Zabuza nodded and began to chuckle sadistically.

"Kekkei Genkai? That's a genetic trait passed down through clans. Which means-" Sakura said.

"Yes, you're right Sakura. Even I can't copy that jutsu. He's unstoppable" Kakashi finished.

Concentrating hard Sakura focused her mind and detected Sasuke and Naruto's chakra signals. They were weak and fading.

_Kakashi sensei can't do anything, if he tries to Zabuza will kill Tazuna. Tazuna is obviously useless so I guess it's up to me. This isn't over yet and I won't let my teammates stay in there when I'm out here with nothing to worry about_ Sakura thought determinedly.

"**OH HELL YEAH HERE WE GO! REMEMBER WHAT TSUNADE-SAMA SAID, WE HAVE ONE SHOT WITH OUR CHAKRA PUNCH SO WE NEED TO MAKE IT COUNT! LET'S BREAK THOSE MIRRORS!" **Inner Sakura cheered and Sakura smirked.

"Kakashi-sensei. I can't protect Tazuna any longer" she told her Sensei quickly.

The silver haired Jounin turned to his student. "What Sakura? No don't you dare!"

But he was too late, feeling the chakra rushing to her fist the pink haired teen took off running towards the ice mirrors.

"NO! GET AWAY YOU FOOLISH GIRL!" Haku yelled loudly from inside the ice mirror prison alerting Sasuke and Naruto to the situation.

Sakura could feel herself getting closer and closer, she began to speed up and cocked her arm until it reached the appropriate height to reflect maximum damage to the jutsu.

"TAKE THIS! CHA!"

With one almighty smash, the ice mirror jutsu was broken. 


	9. Team 7 vs Zabuza: Part 2

The Turning Point

* * *

><p><em>The first day of ninja academy had come and gone, a ten year old Sakura skipped home happily humming an unknown tune. She had spent the day in the meadow picking flowers; although some older girls had been mean to her she had made a new friend. Her name was Ino and she had defended her from the rude comments made by the girls and gave her a bright red bow to help her with the embarrassment of her forehead. <em>

_Reaching her front door Sakura walked into her house to see her father sitting at the kitchen table._

"_Hi Daddy!" the pink haired girl threw her belongings on the ground and raced towards the older fair haired ninja, who chuckled at his daughters antics and hoisted her onto his lap. _

"_Ah Sakura, how's my little cherry blossom? How was your first day?" Smiling Sakura garbled away to him about her new friend Ino and the flowers she had picked._

"_But there was this boy daddy; his name is Naruto I think... Ino said to stay away from him because he's done terrible things to other people. Everyone in the village hates him, but he looked so sad after class today sitting on the swing all alone" Sakura spoke quietly as she looked up at her father._

_Her eyes were full of question, but it was clear she wanted to know if she too should avoid him like the other villagers. _

"_Sakura you listen to me. That boy deserves to be treated like everyone else. You don't have to be his best friend but you must be just as nice to him as you are to your other peers. He was the recipient of a most unfortunate gift from the Third Hokage, something that we will discuss when you're a little older" Takao Haruno said seriously as he watched his daughter's expression. _

_Nodding solemnly the little girl conveyed her understanding to her father. _

"_That's my girl. Sakura as you advance as a ninja you're more than likely going to be put on a team with other people. Nothing is more important than team work, you need to remember that"_

* * *

><p>As the remains of the ice mirror jutsu shattered around her Sakura felt power.<p>

Power and control.

For the first time since she started her ninja journey she felt just as strong and useful as Sasuke or Naruto.

Tazuna, Kakashi and Zabuza could only stare as the pink haired teen rose to her full height and adopted and protective stance in front of her two teammates. Haku lay unmoving on the other side of the bridge but Sakura wasn't taking any chances as she concentrated her chakra.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing?" The exhausted voice of her blonde teammate reached her ears and she couldn't help but smirk.

"I'm protecting you Naruto, that's what you do when you're part of a team right?" she said.

Smiling at his female teammate the blonde haired boy attempted to get up but found he couldn't move.

"SERIOUSLY AGAIN? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH MY BODY?" Huffing and panting Naruto tried again but failed.

"Loser, you're out of chakra that's why you can't move" Sasuke says angrily as he also attempted to rise to his feet but was unable.

"HAHAHAHA! YOU'RE OUT TOO SASUKE-TEME!" Naruto yelled gleefully at the thought of finally being equal to Sasuke at something.

"Sakura what do you think you're doing?" Sasuke said through gritted teeth, the female member of Team 7 let out an exasperated sigh while fixing her vision on Haku's body.

"I'm protecting you both. You're out of chakra and what kind of teammate would I be if I sat on the sidelines and allowed you to have all the fun?" Sakura replied.

"Don't be a hero Sakura; you can't take him by yourself. You're too weak" Sasuke spat out maliciously and the pink haired teen immediately stiffened, her mind racing back to the dream in which all of Team 7 had viciously insulted her.

"Sasuke's right Sakura! Let the boys handle this, they have a better chance of winning against Haku!" Kakashi called out and made another move towards his students but he immediately froze remembering Tazuna was now completely unguarded.

"That's right Kakashi, you take one step and the old man gets it" Zabuza reminded the silver haired Jounin, the rouge ninja then turned to the pink haired teen and began to taunt her.

"You should listen to your teammates little girl. You're way out of your league against Haku. Go back to protecting the bridge builder. You're going to die here kid" he said bluntly.

Out of the corner of her eye Sakura saw Naruto nod slightly as he fixed the ground with a hard stare.

Their words swirled around Sakura's brain. Shouting, teasing and screaming. **"NO! NO! NO!" **Inner Sakura yelled as she retrieved a wooden bat from somewhere in Sakura's brain and began slugging home runs left and right with the words.

"Shut up. All of you SHUT UP DAMN IT!" Sakura yelled covering her ears "I am sick and tired of hearing all of you speak!"

"**SING IT SISTER!" **Inner Sakura cheered.

"I don't care if you think I can do this or not, I'm doing it regardless. It's the job of a ninja to practice teamwork and look out for their teammates and that's what I'm doing. I'm not trying to be a hero Sasuke and exactly how can the boys 'handle' it Kakashi-sensei when they can't even stand?" Sakura asked, surprised at her calm voice.

As a deathly silence hung in the air, Haku got shakily to his feet and turned to face the female ninja who had destroyed his famous ice prison jutsu.

"If she's so determined than so be it. I was hoping you'd have more sense than your teammates but it seems I was mistaken. You may have destroyed my jutsu but you will die here and so will your teammates" Haku said but Sakura wasn't listening.

"**He's coming at us. We need to block his attacks. It's going to be fast so we're going to need chakra to our feet" **Inner Sakura instructed as Sakura felt her arm reach into her ninja pouch and pull out a kunai.

Gritting her teeth the pink haired teen moved quickly to the right, dodging the frontal assault but was able to manoeuvre in time to block the attack came from behind. Once again the sound of the metal senbon needle scraping against the kunai knife filled the air.

"They have no chance" Kakashi said with resignation as Tazuna stared at him in shock.

"Exactly, you're village has become complacent. You trainees have no chance against Haku as they have never learnt to kill the feelings in their own hearts. To crush their opponents mercilessly, showing no emotion or regret" Zabuza said arrogantly.

Only half listening, the silver haired Jounin was conflicted as to what exactly he was to do about the current situation.

_I could make a break to help Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto but he'd slay the bridge builder. If I use shadow clones he'd just match them with water clones. I'd just be wasting chakra. So I have no choice, it's me and Zabuza right here and now. I'll have to do this the hard way,_ Kakashi thought as he raised a hand to the forehead protector covering his left eye.

"The Sharingan, you're no fun Kakashi using the same old trick" Zabuza said before charging at him brandishing a sharp blade which he quickly stuck into Kakashi's forearm which promptly bled.

"If it's just an old trick, why did you just stop me?" the silver haired ninja asked calmly.

Zabuza chuckled "Let your opponent see your jutsu too many times and he'll find a way to use it against you"

"Well then you should count yourself lucky, you're the only man alive who's seen my sharingan twice. Show's over, there won't be a third time" Kakashi said, still gripping his forehead protector. His arm bleeding heavily.

Laughing his deranged laugh Zabuza smirked "Even if you did beat me you'd have no chance against Haku"

Tazuna looked across the bridge to Sakura who was still holding off the fake tracker ninja.

"So that boy in the mask is stronger than this Jounin. Those kids don't have a prayer" he thought to himself.

"When I found him, he was just a street kid. But I trained him in the finest of the ninja arts, taught him everything I know. He even possessed his own special abilities which he refined on his own. The boy developed quickly; soon he could face the most powerful enemy. Outnumbered, in total darkness it didn't matter. He could strike with perfect accuracy. He cared nothing for his own life, or the lives of others. He'd become a unique fighting machine, a shinobi. In the end his power surpassed even mine, now I have a tool that can destroy anything in my path. Unlike those useless punks that follow you around" Zabuza explained.

Finishing his speech the rogue ninja quickly disappeared and the familiar fog of his Mist Jutsu swirled through the air.

"You should have stayed where you were you know" Haku said to Sakura who had begun to notice the mist.

Naruto and Sasuke could only watch on helplessly as their female teammate struggled under the pressure of Haku's senbon needle.

"I couldn't leave my teammates to die knowing I could do something to prevent it" Sakura replied and drove the needle back with the kunai knife.

"You show incredible loyalty to a team who doesn't believe in you or your abilities" Haku observed mildly as Sakura withdrew her kunai knife and attempted a kick to the stomach which was blocked.

"Teamwork is extremely important, I was always told that" Sakura replied as she narrowly avoided the punch to the face and responded with her own punch which wasn't even close.

"**He's too fast; we aren't reading the movements quick enough. If we could just get ahead of him and anticipate what he's going to do next" **Inner Sakura observed.

"It's useless to anticipate my moves; I'm one step ahead of you. You have no bloodline trait, you're rendered incompetent and foolish" Haku said in the same monotone voice and sent the pink haired teen flying with a punch to the stomach.

"Dammit" Sakura huffed as she struggled to get up, Haku who wasn't taking any chances sent down a shower of senbon needles.

The needles cut through her skin and Sakura tried but failed to hide the pain as she let out a small scream.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out as he attempted to get to his feet but his burnt out body screamed in protest and he quickly fell to the ground alongside Sasuke.

_He touched her. He touched her. How dare he even put a finger on her? She's in pain. GET UP SASUKE GET UP DAMMIT!_ The lone survivor of the Uchiha clan mentally berated himself as he stared at the pink haired teen, eyes filled with self-loathing.

Why did he even care what happened to her anyway?

All Sakura could read was sheer disappointment and hatred in Sasuke's eyes.

"He hates me because I'm not strong enough. I'm still not good enough even now when I'm needed the most" she thought in despair.

Haku stood over the pink haired teen ready to deliver the final blow.

I am sorry but perhaps the spillage of your blood and termination of your life will spare the lives of your team members. They will undoubtedly hand over the bridge builder willingly" Haku said monotone, before raising his arm bearing the senbon needle, ready to strike.

"NO! SAKURA NO! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" A male voice cried loudly and Sakura's vision was immediately obscured by a mess of bright blonde hair.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura asked in a quiet voice but the boy in front of her bore no resemblance to the loudmouth knuckleheaded ninja.

Although his face was unable to be seen, Sakura could feel Naruto shaking with rage as an orange glow began admitting from his body. Everyone watched in sheer disbelief and horror as the blonde boy's facial features began to take on a fox like appearance.

"The Nine Tailed Fox" 


	10. Team 7 vs Zabuza: Part 3

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Kakashi Hatake had never seen the fabled Nine Tailed Fox in person. Now he was helpless to do anything as his loudest and stupidest student began taking on fox like characteristics.<p>

_What the hell is happening?_ Sasuke thought. How was it that Naruto was able to move to defend Sakura when he had just as little chakra as he did.

"You'll pay for this" Naruto said angrily as he stood in front of Sakura who took in a shaky breath.

One minute she was facing Haku alone, and now Naruto who had hardly anything left in his chakra reserve managed to stand up and defend her.

_Always someone huh Sakura? Always need someone protecting you,_ she thought, annoyed.

When Sakura grew older her father informed her of the legendary Nine Tailed Fox and how the Third Hokage had sealed it inside Naruto. She had been sworn to secrecy as the information had been disclosed to only a few shinobi which happened to include her father and mother.

Now the pink haired ninja could only watch on in horror as bright orange chakra began to whip through the air.

Naruto became angrier, his eyes narrowed together and whisker marks began to form on his face. Gone was the carefree knucklehead, who longed to be the best ninja in the village. He was now replaced with something that held tremendous force.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU" Naruto yelled in voice that sounded like death.

Sakura looked a few feet away where Sasuke sat immobile, staring at Naruto with a mix of awe and envy.

The pink haired ninja on the other hand was scared. The fact that her blonde teammate was standing, let alone producing enough chakra for ten ninja was a medical impossibility.

But Lady Tsunade had spoken about the power of emotion as strength in battle; it seemed as though Naruto's anger was fueling the Nine Tailed Fox within him.

Naruto yelled and charged towards the enemy ninja, Haku jumped barely avoiding the attack. "His chakra grows stronger every second, I must strike now!"

Senbon needles rained down upon the blonde ninja, but a huge rush of orange chakra threw them off his body. Naruto charged forward again ready to strike Haku who promptly dodged the attack and decided on a quick aerial strike.

Sakura and Sasuke could only look on in shock as their blonde teammate twisted out of the assault and managed to grab Haku by the wrist, another strong burst of chakra emitting from his body.

Still surrounded by Zabuza's Hidden Mist Jutsu, Kakashi watched the strong chakra radiating off his student.

"Could it be? Has the seal been broken? No, it's just been loosened. The Nine Tailed Foxes chakra has slipped through but the seal still holds" Kakashi thought to himself before reaching into the front pocket of his faded green Jounin vest and pulling out a scroll.

Tossing it up in the air to unfurl, the silver haired man cut his thumb and ran it along the open scroll.

"Zabuza! I don't mean to spoil your fun; I know how you like to stretch these things out but how about we put an end to this now?" Kakashi called out while twirling and tossing the scroll around his body.

Catching it, the Jounin placed his fingers together to begin a jutsu. "Come on, what do you say? We're both busy people"

Hearing Kakashi speak, Sakura attempted to locate their sensei but the Mist Jutsu was too thick.

In all the fighting with Haku and Naruto's transformation she had almost forgotten that they were facing two enemies, not one.

"Sounds tempting, I'm curious to see how you intend to back up such brave words. Show me Kakashi!" Zabuza called out as Naruto's grip on Haku's arm tightened and the flow of chakra surrounding them became stronger.

Lifting two fingers to the front of his mask Haku attempted to perform a jutsu. "I can't, his energy is too strong"

Naruto's whole body glowed orange as he began to breathe heavily. Raising his fist and with a loud yell, the blonde haired genin punched the fake tracker ninja, sending him flying.

Haku's body tumbled and rolled before coming to a stop several meters away. Wasting no time Naruto charged forward with a burst of chakra as pieces of Haku's mask began slipping off his face.

"_Zabuza, I am no match for this boy. Master, I have failed"_

* * *

><p>Feeling some of chakra return to her, Sakura silently thanked Tsuande for her ridiculous stamina training and made her way over to where Sasuke lay, still hardly able to move. Immediately Sakura used what little chakra she had built up to heal some of Sasuke's wounds. As she progressed up his fore arm her glowing green hand was slapped away.<p>

"Sasuke what are you doing? I'm trying to heal you and give you more chakra" Sakura asked in confusion.

"I don't need you chakra and I don't need you to heal me. I don't need anyone's help, least of all you" Sasuke said in a voice like ice.

Sakura became infuriated and shot the raven haired teen a dirty look.

"Didn't you learn anything from that bell test? We're supposed to work together as a TEAM Sasuke; right now I have more chakra than you which means you need help! Why can't you just admit that?" Sakura said hotly as her cheeks began to turn the colour of her hair.

Sasuke replied in kind with his infamous Uchiha glare.

"You know what Sakura? This would have never happened if you'd just stayed out of the way. You think you're such a chakra expert because you can heal a few cuts? Naruto and Kakashi may think you've changed but I don't. So you're wearing your hair up and you got rid of that stupid dress. That doesn't make you any more of a ninja than Ino or the rest of those annoying girls. This has been just some stupid attempt to impress me but I will NEVER be interested in you" Sasuke spat maliciously.

"**OH HELL TO THE NO. COCKY LITTLE UCHIHA BRAT SAY WHAT? QUICK WHILE HE'S DOWN, BEAT THE LIVING HELL OUT OF HIM! NO ONE SPEAKS TO US LIKE THAT CHA!" **Inner Sakura screamed, having a meltdown burning pictures of Sasuke.

Sakura sat unmoving, not angry or sad or hurt. Just nothing. Numb. Sasuke watched as her normally light emerald eyes faded in to a dull green. It was as though all the light had been sucked out of her. Getting slowly to her feet, Sakura returned her kunai knife to its pouch.

"Fine, if that's how you feel" Sakura said in a voice void of any emotion and began to walk off past the shattered remains of the Ice Mirror Jutsu to exit the bridge.

Sasuke clenched his fists in anger, why was she being so stupid? Why couldn't she just stay out of the way? When did she suddenly decide it was time to prove her abilities to everyone? He had to get her back before she got herself into trouble again.

"_You know she wouldn't be walking away right now if you hadn't spoken like that to her. Why didn't you just let her heal you?" _A voice in Sasuke's head spoke up.

_Because I don't need help from anyone. I don't need friends, I don't need sympathy and I don't need people obstructing me from my goal,_ Sasuke 'replied' to what seemed like his conscious as he attempted to stand up but was unable.

"Sakura! Get back here before you get into trouble!" Sasuke yelled out.

Sakura heard her teammate but refused to look back or turn around. **"Sakura, we can't just leave**" her Inner spoke up, trying to be reasonable.

_Yes we can. You heard him, you heard what he said. I'm a fake; this whole change was an act to get his attention. I should have stayed out of the way, by leaving the mission I am out of the way_

"Going somewhere sweetheart?"

* * *

><p>Naruto's fist stopped centimetres away from Haku's face, his breath was ragged and heavy. "So that guy in the woods; that was you?" He asked in a somewhat calm voice.<p>

Haku simply looked at him. "Why do you not strike? Did you not just vow to avenge your teammates after I injured them? Or was that just empty words?" The fake tracker ninja asked monotone.

Anger rose up within the blonde boy as he remembered his promise and threw a punch. But it didn't contain the same fiery anger or the amazing chakra power from the Nine Tailed Fox that it had previously.

Haku once again fell to the ground and shakily got back up again, coughing out blood. "No, that won't do. You're still holding back. If that is all the strength you can put into it you will never keep your vow….. Or perhaps they don't mean as much to you as you pretend" Haku said, emotion seeping into his words.

Naruto clenched his fists together in anger. Sasuke was always ahead of him at the academy and ever since they had been put on the same squad Naruto had been trying to best him at everything. They weren't the best of friends but they were still teammates. As for Sakura, Naruto thought that he knew her in the academy. She hated him and loved Sasuke, but that was different now. He didn't know where he stood with Sakura. Really he knew hardly anything about his teammates. Haku interrupted his thoughts.

"To show mercy to those who oppose the one you serve. To allow his enemies to live when you can strike them down. This is not compassion; it is a betrayal of your life's very purpose. For what reason do you exist then? You're of use to no one; your life has no meaning. It is mere existence, day after day of pain and struggle signifying nothing" Haku commented.

"Yeah well speak for yourself!" Naruto spat back.

"Are you really that blind little one? I am speaking of myself; this day has shown that I am no longer of any use to Zabuza" Haku responded.

"Zabuza! Why that guy anyway?! To devote your life to a rotten skunk who doesn't know the meaning of the word honour. If he's really the one person that matters to you, man that's the sorriest thing I've ever heard!" Naruto yelled in frustration

"There were once others who mattered to me. Long ago. My father and my mother, they were farmers but very poor. They were good to each other and kind to me. But because of something that happened long before I was born, everything changed" Haku said falling silent.

"What is it!? What happened? What changed!?" Naruto asked persistently.

"It wasn't my doing, it is in the blood. It was my father who changed, he killed my mother and he almost killed me. Because of a vicious civil war the people of my land began to fear and hate anyone who carried the Kekkei Genkai" Haku continued.

"Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto asked, zeroing in on the word.

"The advanced bloodline trait of a clan, its jutsu and abilities passed down from generation to generation. Because of these abilities, these clans were used as mercenaries. They fought in any battles and were much feared. But when the wars ended they were shunned by the people who feared their presence would bring more wars" Haku said.

"My mother was able to disguise her bloodline trait and fell in love with a simple farmer. She thought she would be able to live a simple ordinary life for the rest of her days. When I began to develop the special abilities of our clan's trait my mother attempted to keep it a secret. But my father saw and he killed my mother. I had lost both my mother and father but I had lost something even more important"

"More important than your mother and father? What?" Naruto asked quietly

"My purpose. In the entire world there was no one who needed me. I was unnecessary" Haku spoke softly and Naruto stood rigid to the spot.

"Why is it you're so determined to be Hokage? Because you want all eyes in your village to look at you and recognise you as a great ninja. You see it is only through the eyes of others that our lives have little significance. When there is no one who sees you or will even look at you it's as if you do not exist. Then Zabuza came along and looked at me, his eyes were not full of hate or fear. He did not shun me for my strangeness. Indeed my special powers were just what he wanted. He made me necessary again" Haku explained.

"But now I have failed, I am like a weapon that has been broken and of no further use" Haku said quietly while slowly walking towards Naruto who took a few anxious steps back.

"Naruto. Kill me"

* * *

><p>Sakura's mind snapped to attention when she heard Zabuza's voice, the whole bridge was covered in mist but wasn't he supposed to be down the other end fighting Kakashi.<p>

Reaching for her kunai pouch the pink haired ninja prepared her defence

"Don't even bother kid. Why so quick to leave? The team needs you or isn't that what you upstanding Konoha ninja's believe in" Zabuza said in a taunting voice.

"I haven't got time for this. Get out of my way so I can leave. The team doesn't need me, never has never will" Sakura said bitterly as Zabuza appeared in front of her.

"You're a girl, weak and useless ninja but with the right training you could be powerful. More powerful than any of these fools, even the great Kakashi Hatake would have to acknowledge your superiority. Before I kill you kid I'll give you one good piece of advice, you don't need a team to succeed" The Hidden Mist ninja said in a serious tone before making the beginning signs of a jutsu.

But before the kunoichi could even consider what Zabuza had said Kakashi appeared out of nowhere and quickly pushed his female student aside.

Zabuza quickly disappeared back into the mist.

"Sakura, you need to go back to Tazuna. Stay with him until this is over!" Kakashi ordered and the pink haired ninja complied quietly. Still clutching his scroll the silver haired Jounin performed some quick hand signs.

"NINJA ART SUMMONING!" Kakashi yelled out smashing the scroll into the ground "EARTH STYLE, FANGED PURSUIT JUTSU!" Chakra then began to pour out of both ends of the scroll.

"I don't know why you bother, of what use is your jutsu if you can't even find me. But I can find you" With that Zabuza appeared again a few meters away. "Blindly falling into my trap, you disappointment me Kakashi. I think you're right, it is time to put an end to this"

Suddenly the ground began to rumble and cracks in the bridge began to appear. Ninken shot out of the cracks and latched themselves onto Zabuza, growing and snarling.

"Sakura you're back! That dreadful noise, what could it be?" Tazuna asked as the female ninja re-appeared and stood in front of him.

"I don't know, it sounds like a pack of dogs" Sakura replied.

Tazuna noticed that something was off but chose not to say anything. Just what had happened when she went into battle Haku and protect her teammates? The fog was so thick Tazuna couldn't see the loud mouthed blonde or the Uchiha brat. Not to mention the disappearance of Kakashi moments ago.

Lifting his hands from the scroll, Kakashi rose to his full height and now looked at Zabuza who was pinned down by his Ninken. The situation would have been comical had it not been so serious.

"I realised if I couldn't see you I'd have to smell you out. That was a summoning jutsu; I was calling forth my ninja hounds. They can track a scent anywhere" The Jounin explained.

Zabuza tried to struggle against the dogs but it was in vain.

"When you attacked me I let you get passed me. I wanted you to cut me. You see it's the smell of my blood on your blade that led them to you. Surprised? Looks like I wasn't the only one who was blind. Falling into my trap, you disappoint me Zabuza" Kakashi said in an amused tone before looking around the bridge.

"Ah, the mist is finally clearing and you know what I see? Your death!"

"Talk talk. Do you mean to talk me to death?" Zabuza spat back.

"In a way, yes. Right now my hounds are just playing with you but one word from me and they'll tear you apart. Poor Zabuza, see where you ambitions got you? You were always pushing things too far. You've stooped so low to be the hired thug of a swine like Gatō" Kakashi said with conviction before doing a hand sign.

"I think it's high time we finished this, but not with Sharingan, you're going to see one of my own original jutsu!"

Quickly making the necessary hand signs, copious amounts of what looked like lightning bolts began to expand from one of the Jounin's hands. The sound was deafening, like huge numbers of birds squawking at an intensely high frequency.

"LIGHTNING BLADE!" Kakashi yelled. Zabuza stared wide eyed at the lightning surrounding Kakashi. "The chakra is so strong! It's visible, he holds it in his hands!" he thought to himself.

"I won't allow you to kill Tazuna; he's a brave man with a noble dream. The bridge he's building is the hope of this land and its entire people. You're like a disease, by hurting one you harm all and you don't care. That is not the way of the Shinobi" Kakashi stated.

"You're right, I don't care! These useless little people and their petty little dreams, why should they matter to me? I have a dream of my own" Zabuza said angrily as the chakra in Kakashi's hand became stronger.

"But to have a dream you need to have a future. You don't. Your future is all used up Zabuza!" 

* * *

><p>"Go on strike me, kill me. Why do you hesitate?" Haku asked in a calm voice, Naruto stared at the boy before taking a few angry steps back.<p>

"That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard! I mean, he treats you like a slave! You're a human being not a weapon or a tool! How can you care about someone like that?" Naruto asked, frustrated.

"It is for that reason exactly. Does that seem so strange to you?"

"Well yeah, a little"

"Zabuza gave me both a purpose and reason for living. But now my usefulness is over, the only thing that gave my life meaning. It's gone and I am a broken tool, a blunted weapon of no use to anyone. Go on Naruto, do it for both of our sakes" Haku said but still Naruto refused to move.

Sasuke had finally regained enough chakra to move himself into a sitting position. "Damn it, where the hell did Sakura go? This mist, it's clearing but not fast enough. I can't see Naruto or Haku and I still can't move!"

"I thought you wanted to be a mighty warrior?" Haku asked the blonde boy who continued to put distance between himself and the fake tracker ninja.

"That's not what it's about! Do you really believe that's all there is to it? Just fighting and killing till there is one man left standing! There's a lot more to be shinobi than that!"

"I've had a feeling all along, from the first moment we met in the woods. We're a lot alike" Haku said "I'm sure you know what I mean, I'm only sorry it is your hand that is tainted with my unworthy blood"

"Are you sure about this? And you're positive it's the only way?" Naruto asked, shaking slightly. Haku nodded and the blonde boy reached into his kunai pouch and began to charge forward, intent on killing the tracker ninja. "Yes this is right. Strike true Naruto" 

* * *

><p>"At least this fog is clearing up, look there!" Tazuna said as Sakura looked to where he was pointing. Two figures stood, squaring off against each other.<p>

"Is it Naruto and Haku or Kakashi and Zabuza?" she thought to herself.

"Look one of them is moving!" the bridge builder called out as Kakashi moved forward quickly, Lightning Blade in hand ready to strike Zabuza down. At the same time Naruto was still charging forward when Haku suddenly looked up, eyes wide.

Before he knew what was happening, Haku had grabbed Naruto's wrist and prevented him from doing what he had requested.

Holding the kunai back, Haku performed some quick hand signs with one hand. "I'm not ready to die quite yet" the enemy ninja said before disappearing.

Kakashi ran at Zabuza with intense speed. "Is this the end?" The hidden mist ninja asked as the silver haired Jounin leaped into the air, ready to strike.

A huge blast of air almost knocked Sakura off her feet as she struggled to stay upright. The mist had been cleared away fully, someone had been struck with Kakashi's Lightning Blade but it wasn't Zabuza.

Immediately the Ninken disappeared and the rouge ninja was free. Kakashi's jutsu and scroll had been neutralised by senbon needles.

An ice mirror stood between Zabuza and Kakashi and between Zabuza and the mirror stood Haku with Kakashi's Lightning Blade gone straight through him. Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura now had full visibility and could only stare in shock as Haku's blood covered the ground.

"Za-bu-za" Haku said quietly, breathing slowly as he tried to remove Kakashi's palm from his chest.

"So my future is all used up huh Kakashi?"


	11. Team 7 vs Zabuza: Part 4

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>Naruto stared wide eyed at the scene before him. Haku, whom he had promised to kill, had made the ultimate sacrifice. Like the tool for Zabuza he had professed to be Haku was able to make himself useful, a shield from the attack that would have surely ended the rouge ninja's life.<p>

Kakashi Hatake could only watch in horror as the boy attempted to remove the hand from his chest, the last of the Lightning Blade jutsu petering out.

"So my future's all used up huh Kakashi?" Zabuza asked smugly, his eyes unwavering from the silver haired ninja.

His eyes did not even flicker downwards to Haku who was taking in fast raspy breaths.

"You're wrong again Kakashi" he said with a sadistic chuckle as blood began pouring profusely from Haku's chest wound.

"I don't understand… what the hell is going on here?!" Naruto asked horrified.

"Isn't that the boy in the mask?" Tazuna asked but neither Sasuke nor Sakura were listening to him, they couldn't tear their eyes away from the gruesome scene before them.

"The boy threw himself in front of my attack; he saved your worthless life at the cost of his own!" Kakashi said bitterly.

Sakura stared, transfixed, to give one's life so willingly for a person like Zabuza. Her mind couldn't process such a sacrifice for someone so unworthy.

Sasuke appeared to be thinking similar thoughts as he looked upon the hidden mist ninja with disgust and hatred. Suddenly Zabuza gave an almighty yell and reached for the sword on his back.

_He'd hack right through the boy to take me down? _Kakashi thought in horror as the rouge ninja draw his sword.

"I knew I'd found a treasure when I found you boy!" Zabuza yelled, referring to Haku "You've not only given me my life but Kakashi's as well!"

The silver haired Jounin struggled in vain as he tried to free his hand from Haku's chest, meanwhile the others could only watch as Zabuza leapt into the air to deliver his final blow.

Seeing the enemy ninja charging straight for him, Kakashi thought quickly and took hold of the boy before vanishing in thin air, thus avoiding the sword's blow. Twisting and turning in the air, Kakashi landed gracefully away from Zabuza with Haku in his arms.

"Not bad for having a corpse in your arms huh?" Zabuza said, his sick sense of humour prevailing.

"You'll pay for that!" Naruto yelled fuming but the silver haired Jounin quickly dismissed him.

"No. Stay out of this Naruto" he said as he laid Haku gently on the ground.

He had died with his eyes wide open in fear, after staring at him intently Kakashi moved his hand and closed the young boy's eyes. "This is my battle, Zabuza is mine!" The Jounin said angrily.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke out of the corner of her eye; he had been able to move after sensei had ordered to stay with Sasuke and the bridge builder. He was now standing next to her; unconsciously Sakura did a quick check of his vitals. He had regained some chakra but it was minimal. Her own levels were just as low. They had not spoken since she had tried to leave the bridge.

_My job is to protect the bridge builder not to worry about my problems with Sasuke, _Sakura thought, although in the pit of her stomach she was glad Kakashi was taking on Zabuza.

The pink haired girl knew that neither she nor Sasuke had much strength left to fight off anymore ninja, as much as Sasuke would never admit it.

"**Arrogant prick"** Inner Sakura declared.

As it happened, Kakashi's thoughts were not too far from Sakura's, glancing at his team of exhausted genin and the bridge builder he knew he had to finish this and soon.

"Kakashi! I'd stay focused if I were you" Zabuza said drawing the Jounin's attention to him as he ran forward and attempted to slice Kakashi with his sword.

The silver haired man propelled himself upward and aimed a kick that connected with Zabuza's face, pushing him away.

"Why can't I keep up with him?" Zabuza wondered as both ninja landed gracefully to the ground. Kakashi had dodged every single one of his attacks since the fight had begun. His speed was superhuman.

A white hot rage began to flow through him as the rouge ninja picked up his sword once more and with a rush of chakra ran speeding towards Kakashi.

Grasping his sword in his left hand, Zabuza attempted a downward slice but before the blade could even make contact, Kakashi extended his arm and punched Zabuza in the face. The force of the punch sent the Hidden Mist ninja back a few meters, but before he had time to react Kakashi delivered another sharp blow to his right cheek. Exhausted and breathing heavily, Zabuza shot the Konoha ninja a dirty look.

"I'LL SPLIT YOU IN HALF!" the rouge ninja yelled as he charged forward again, attempting a side swipe and downward cut with his sword.

Both of which were dodged by a too quick Kakashi. Zabuza barely had time to register that the silver haired man had disappeared before he felt a hand grabbing the back of his neck.

"Look at you, you're falling apart. I knew you didn't have what it takes for the long haul" Kakashi said, deadpanned.

"What did you say?" Zabuza spat out.

"You have no idea what real strength is" the silver haired Jounin declared as the rouge ninja took in tired breaths, immobilised.

"Well well, so this is how it turns out?" A foreign voice said from further down the bridge but no one heard it.

Kakashi quickly pulled two kunai from his pouch and raised his hand with the intent of plunging the knives into Zabuza's arm. Before Kakashi could make a move, Zabuza quickly pulled his sword backwards to swipe the silver haired man on the left hand side. Refusing to dodge the blow, Kakashi managed to imbed the kunai knives before taking the hit from Zabuza's sword.

Skilfully the silver haired Jounin managed a few backflips and landed on his feet. Zabuza's sword was flung meters away to the edge of the bridge. Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto all looked at their sensei in awe; the speed with which he moved was incredible.

"Now both of your arms are useless, what now? You can't even make hand signs" Kakashi said.

_Without the use of his arms, it's pointless to continue this, _ Sasuke thought as he watched the immobilized rouge ninja.

"Well well, he did quite a number on you didn't he Zabuza? You look terrible. I must say I'm disappointed"

All heads turned their attention to the southern end of the bridge. There stood a man with a walking cane in a suit.

Surrounded by a huge army of men. 

* * *

><p><em>So this is the infamous Gatō huh? <em>Sakura thought.

Her eyes surveyed the group of dangerous looking men. All with huge swords and other weapons. It was just the thing she had been dreading. There were at least 60-100 men on Gatō's side and a fight was unavoidable.

Because Zabuza was still a threat, Kakashi would be pre-occupied with him. Leaving her and her teammates to deal with all of Gatō's men and protect the bridge builder. Sakura felt physically sick.

"Gatō, I don't understand. What is all this? Why are you here? And who are these thugs you've brought with you?" Zabuza asked.

"Well you see there's been a slight change in plans, you're going to die on this bridge right here right now" Gatō said with a tap of his walking stick, a smug smile on his face.

"What?"

"You're too expensive, so I've decided to take you off the payroll. Of course even these thugs I brought with me cost something. So if you could manage to slaughter a few of them before they take you down I'd appreciate it. Think you can manage that Demon Ninja of the Mist?" Gatō chuckled sarcastically.

Instinctively Sakura glanced at Tazuna, surely after the men were finished with Zabuza they would come for the bridge builder.

Would Kakashi stay with Zabuza or would the whole team run? Sakura's brain was in overdrive as she tried to imagine all the possible scenarios of getting the bridge builder to safety. Unfortunately none of them were looking good.

"Well well Kakashi, it would seem our fight is at an end. Since I'm no longer Gatō's employee, Tazuna is safe. We have no quarrel" Zabuza said, fixing Gatō with an angry glare.

"Yeah I suppose you're right" Kakashi said quietly, also looking at Gatō 'and his men. Noticing Haku on the ground in front of him, Gatō walked forward with malice in his eyes.

"You, you little brat. You're the one who grabbed my wrist and nearly broke it" Saying this he lifted his walking stick and whacked Haku in the face with it. "Too bad he wasn't alive to feel that"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM YOU SCUM!" Naruto yelled, charging forward ready to exact vengeance when Kakashi grabbed him around the collar.

"Don't be stupid, use your head Naruto" the silver haired man instructed his student referring to the large number of men. Sakura felt the same as Naruto as she clenched her fists together.

"What about you Zabuza? You going to let him do that?" Naruto asked the unmoving rouge ninja angrily.

"Be quiet you fool, Haku's dead what does it matter?" Zabuza said annoyed at the blonde boy.

"But you were together for years, doesn't that mean anything?" Naruto asked.

"You don't understand the way of the shinobi; I used Haku just as Gatō used me. His strength and skill I will miss, but for the boy I feel nothing" Zabuza replied

"You were everything to him! He gave up everything to serve you and you feel nothing? He threw his life away! And for what? You and your dream? You never let him have a dream of his own but he didn't care. And you just toss him aside, like a broken tool. That's so wrong!" Naruto said, tears streaming down his face. Sakura too was upset and Sasuke looked deflated.

"You talk too much" Zabuza said, but the tears that fell on the ground in front of him gave him away. "Your words cut deeper than any blade and now I am content that this is the way it must end. Shinobi are human too, as much as we try to deny it. It's inescapable"

Naruto looked hopefully at the rouge ninja.

"Well this is all very touching but I'm a busy man and I need to get my use out of these thugs" Gatō said angrily before pointing to the men on his left side.

"You lot. I want you to get rid of the bridge builder, permanently. Kill the boy and the girl if they should try to defend him" Both Sakura and Sasuke immediately stiffened.

"SAKURA, SASUKE! NO!" Naruto called out loudly but Sakura didn't hear him. All she could feel was the blood pounding in her ears.

"And you lot. Kill the useless rouge ninja, the sensei and his blonde brat. Now."

Hearing this all the men drew their weapons.

"Sasuke! Sakura!" Kakashi yelled as he attempted to move towards his students but in a split second he, Zabuza and Naruto were surrounded.

"Draw your kunai Sakura" Sasuke said, narrowing his eyes at the group of men that had boxed them in.

Sakura reached into her pouch and drew the kunai knife; Gatō smirked at the bridge builder. The idea of hiring thugs was a genius one in his opinion. All of the ninja were now surrounded and sure to die. Plus he still had a substantial group of men guarding him in case things got… Unpleasant.

Naruto and Kakashi looked helplessly at the two members of Team 7 but Zabuza alerted them to the more pressing issue at hand. The fact that they too were completely surrounded, Kakashi quickly drew his kunai knife but Naruto was slow to do so. His attention was focused on the large group surrounding his teammates.

"The quicker we take down these thugs, the quicker we can help them" Kakashi said, hearing this Naruto drew his kunai knife as well.

"Let's finish this" 

* * *

><p>Thankfully academy training had covered the required formation for when a ninja was surrounded. Although this formation was designed for a team of more than two and didn't take into account the need to keep an eye on an additional person.<p>

So Sakura and Sasuke did the best they could with what they had. Sasuke stood towards the southern end of the bridge, his back to Tazuna, facing off against the men on his half of the circle. Sakura did the same facing the northern end of the bridge.

"Hand over the old man and we'll let you brats go. He's all we want. Then you can go and join your friends, if they're still alive of course" One of the thugs said drawing out a blade in front of Sasuke.

"Tch. You're annoying. Not to mention stupid if you're working for that guy. You don't get the bridge builder" The Uchiha survivor said deadpanned earning a smirk from Tazuna.

_That boy's got some fire left in him yet, _the bridge builder thought.

"Maybe you'll be more… accommodating than your boyfriend. Let us have the bridge builder and we'll let you go honey" Another man said, leering at Sakura who could only roll her eyes.

"Yeah right. He's not my boyfriend" she said with a jerk of her head towards Sasuke "and you're not getting the bridge builder. Maybe you should listen better next time" the pink haired girl smirked defiantly.

Like hell she was putting up with this, Sakura was tired and exhausted. Sasuke couldn't help but give some credit to Sakura's defiance. She had less chakra than he did and less physical strength but she wasn't intimidated, or if she was she wasn't showing it. And furthermore, what exactly was that twinge when she mentioned him not being her boyfriend?

_Mind on the fight. Less chakra equals less physical strength, she'll be a liability,_ Sasuke thought as he gripped his kunai knife harder.

Tazuna looked at the two children, which is what they are, children. How could he be so selfish? "Sasuke, Sakura. Don't. I will give myself up to Gatō. Your lives should not be lost for me" Tazuna decided.

Sakura's eyes narrowed at the men in front of her who began laughing.

"That's it old man, give yourself up and we won't harm the little children"

Tazuna tried to step forward but Sasuke put his arm out. "Don't move a muscle, our mission is to protect you and if you die we will have failed. Hn, it'll be annoying trying to explain that to the dobe"

Tazuna looked blankly at the boy and stepped back.

Sasuke shot the men his infamous Uchiha death glare and the bridge builder felt a surge of gratitude towards the boy.

"Uh-oh. Wrong answer, guess we'll have to take him by force then" A thug said, reaching for his sword. Quickly withdrawing it he attempted to strike Tazuna but was blocked by a kunai knife.

Sasuke whipped around to see Sakura holding her kunai knife above her head; her arms were shaking as she blocked the sword above her.

"How many times do you idiots want to hear it, you're not getting the bridge builder!" Sakura spat at the sword holder through gritted teeth.

In a flash she had removed the kunai knife and kicked her assailant in the stomach. Satisfied that he wasn't getting up, Sakura turned to Sasuke "Are we going to finish this or what?"

The Uchiha boy gave a curt nod of his head before picking up his kunai knife and plunging it into the closest thug.

"**CHA! CHA! CHA! IT'S SO ON RIGHT NOW!" **Inner Sakura yelled as Sakura aimed another hefty kick towards a random guy.

It was as though she was operating on auto pilot. _Kick, punch, kick, and punch, kunai knife, slash, block, block. _

But the thugs never stopped coming, it wasn't as though they were waiting patiently in a line to fight her individually. No, they came at the pink haired teen from all sides, Sakura could feel the exhaustion and sheer lack of chakra building but she refused to stop.

Sasuke was in a similar position, except he was exterminating more thugs per hit than Sakura was. The Uchiha attempted to see past the men to find Kakashi or Naruto, but because there was so many of them Sasuke couldn't afford to stray from the task at hand for too long.

Behind him he could hear Sakura's breathing loudly, rolling his eyes mentally Sasuke used his peripheral vision and saw that his pink haired teammate had twice as many thugs left as he did.

"Sakura, you need to hurry up. You're too slow" Sasuke called loudly as he dodged a kick and landed another two punches effectively removing two more thugs.

Hearing this Sakura took a deep shaky breath. _Really? Again? A-god-damn-gain?_ She thought angrily as she twisted the arm of one thug and whiplashed him to another.

"I'm so sorry Sasuke, but as you can quite clearly tell I'm exhausted and low on chakra" Sakura spat out through gritted teeth as she felt a bubbling rage start to boil in her blood.

The strength to her punches became a lot more prominent as she connected her fist with someone's jaw.

_Tired? She's tired? She wasn't the one who fought Haku, Sasuke_ thought bitterly.

"We're all exhausted and low on chakra. Maybe if you'd worked a little harder on your stamina training this would be over by now" The Uchiha prodigy called over his shoulder as he blocked a kick to his face and stabbed his opponent's vital artery in retaliation.

"I've had it with you Sasuke. I don't even think it's worth being a ninja anymore if I'm on the same team as you. I tried to improve myself for ME not for you and I'm still worthless and useless. Since when is it your place to tell me what I should and shouldn't do? I'm not going to grovel and run after you like some love sick puppy!" Sakura yelled angrily, finally all her rage had culminated into one big outburst.

As her anger grew she could feel some of her strength returning and she managed to take out three men at once.

"You're girlfriend's not sounding too happy with you eh?" One man yelled out before Sasuke silenced him permanently.

No one had ever spoken to him in that way before. She made him out to be some sort of spoilt child, not an Uchiha prodigy.

"I never asked you to run after me or even show the slightest concern. I don't need people like you in my life. Why didn't you decide to improve the first day of the academy? You're acting like this is some kind of game. Playing ninja for your own amusement. Between you and Naruto this team is a joke" Sasuke retorted angrily, kicking yet another man in the stomach he looked around, finally it seemed as though the amount of thugs was decreasing.

Sakura's fist began to glow a bright green as her punches became stronger and heavier, thanks to the added chakra.

The pink haired teen shook visibly from anger at Sasuke's words, deciding to improve, playing ninja for her own amusement. Her and Naruto a joke? Had he looked in the mirror? Who did he think he was strutting about like he was the friggen Hokage or something?

"**THAT SELF-SATISFIED, STUBBORN, PRICK! HE DOESN'T NEED US? WELL WE DON'T NEED HIM! IN FACT IF IT WASN'T FOR US, HIM AND THE BLONDE ONE WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN PASSED KAKASHI'S TEST!" **Inner Sakura yelled at a mind blowing decibel level.

Sakura immediately latched onto the idea, her Inner was right. If it hadn't been for her and the notion to work together as a team they would have never passed the bell test. Really if she thought about it, they actually didn't. She passed the test and got the bells, but gave them willingly over because she made a promise. Hitting a few more thugs hard she decided to share this piece of information.

"This team's a joke huh? You and Naruto wouldn't even be on this team if it wasn't for my idea to use teamwork for the bell test! I'm beginning to wish I hadn't made that promise!" Sakura said, her voice raising a few octaves.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the number of men around Sasuke depleting and even caught a glimpse of Naruto's spikey blonde hair.

_They must be almost finished, _she thought. Finally it was almost over. The pink haired teen estimated a handful of men were left in front of her.

Tazuna meanwhile was listening to the hurtful words being thrown back and forth between the two teenagers. He had been considering the relationship between the pink haired girl and her dark haired teammate ever since they had arrived. From what he could pick up, Sakura was obtaining increasing strength as evident in her chakra abilities and Sasuke seemed displeased by this.

But it had to go further than that. Sasuke, it seemed to Tazuna, was forever putting those around him down. Perhaps to build himself up, but there was no need for he possessed abilities beyond his years and obviously beyond his fellow teammates.

Sakura, on the other hand, from what Sasuke had said appeared to have changed. Tazuna had no idea what she was before but he could not imagine why this new Sakura was bad. She was bright, smart, useful and the potential to be…. What had Kakashi called it? A medical ninja, he had said she had great potential.

_Surely the reason for this much hostility must go deeper than that, _Tazuna thought as the argument began to get louder and more heated.

"So you're taking credit for the creation of this team now? You wish you hadn't given me a bell, well I wish I'd never been put on the same team as you in the first place! "

"That's not what I said at all Sasuke and you know it. God! You're so arrogant; you think everyone wants to be on the same team as the almighty Sasuke from the great Uchiha clan. No one is ever good enough for you!"

"Shut up! You don't know a thing about my family so don't talk about them as though you do!"

"So I'm not allowed to mention your family, but you have perfect right to talk about my father and how he should disown me. You think you're the centre of the universe, other people have problems too!"

"He should have disowned you! The way you acted in the academy, running after me and trying to win my affections. I would be disgusted to have a daughter training to be a ninja running after some boy. And to think you're a legacy, both parents' ninja's. How disappointed he must have been!"

Then there was silence, it was over.

No more men to kill.

Every one of the thugs defeated.

Tazuna stood in the middle, watching the two teenagers breathing heavily. Then suddenly, before anyone could blink both Sakura and Sasuke had whirled around, kunai in hand and attempted to strike each other. Both pushed heavily on their weapons, each attempting to drive their knives into the other.

"TAKE. THAT. BACK. NOW." Sakura spat out angrily, fire burning in her eyes.

The urge to kill Sasuke, to hurt him as he had hurt her so many times was overwhelming.

"Never" Sasuke replied in a voice as cold as ice, his own eyes reflecting the anger and determination to hurt his teammate for insulting his pride and running her mouth about his family.

"Sakura, Sasuke! Put your knives down and step away from each other now!" Kakashi called out angrily.

He, Naruto and Zabuza had just finished their fight and were now watching the two teenagers stand opposite each other with the intent to kill.

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke! What are you doing?" Naruto called out confused whilst Zabuza said nothing. The Uchiha boy and the pink haired girl ignored them, staring each other down.

"Well, come on Sasuke. Make a move since I'm too useless to do so myself" Sakura said, mimicking the arrogant way he spoke. The black haired boy's eyes narrowed as he pushed his kunai harder towards his female teammate.

"Look out!" Tazuna yelled loudly and Sakura watched as Sasuke's eyes widened.

They had missed one of the thugs and now he was charging straight for the two teenagers. Before Sakura could even think to turn around and defend herself, Sasuke beat her to it. Pulling his kunai away, he quickly jumped in front of her and took care of the remaining thug with a few quick slashes.

Sakura stood rooted to the spot, watching her teammate breathing heavily. He'd jumped in front of her to save him.

She couldn't even muster a thank you, Sasuke turned around and fixed Sakura with a self-satisfied smirk as if to say 'told you so, you're so useless you couldn't even defend yourself' and all feelings of gratitude she felt towards him disappeared.

Sasuke himself had no idea why he had jumped to save his teammate. After all the things she said to him, why would he?

_Because you didn't want to see her die,_ A voice in his head commented but the black haired boy chose to ignore it.

Shooting each other dirty looks, the teammates failed to register the presence of a very angry Kakashi and a confused Naruto. Before Kakashi could even begin to rip into his two students, Zabuza spoke.

"Boy, give me your kunai" the rouge ninja said to Naruto, his gazed locked with Gatō's who was still surrounded by his men.

Slowly the blonde ninja withdrew his knife and threw it to Zabuza who caught it easily in his mouth. His eyes zeroed in on Gatō who realised what was happening.

"That's enough of this, do it, take him down now!" Gatō yelled loudly, running back through the group of men to take shelter behind them.

The thugs cheered in agreement as Zabuza came charging at them.

"He must be out of his mind, one against all of us what's he thinking?" One of the men said, but Zabuza charged straight past him, cutting him with his kunai knife.

He continued at break neck speed past all of the men, wounding those who got in his way.

However, the fight with Kakashi as well as the inability to use his arms did not prevent him from receiving wounds. One of the men took the chance and plunged a sword into his back. Finally the rouge ninja reached the end of the large group of men and found his target. Gatō.

The business tycoon watched in horror as the deadly ninja charged towards him as if in slow motion. Zabuza ran right into Gatō and struck him on the chest with Naruto's kunai knife, pushing the knife in harder Gatō coughed out blood and staggered.

Team 7 and the bridge builder looked on in horror as the group of men came up behind Zabuza and drove their swords and spears into his back causing him to fall forward.

"You crazy fool, if you're so eager to join your friend go ahead! But you're not taking me, not this time!" Gatō said through raspy breaths due to his injury.

"I won't be joining Haku, where he's gone I cannot follow" Zabuza said, shakily standing upright with the swords in his back.

He began slowly advancing towards Gatō who yelled out "Stay back, stay back!" Zabuza moved his face inches from the tycoon.

"Where Haku's going, we wouldn't be welcome. Hell's where we're going Gatō. I can't think of a more fitting destination for a demon ninja, can you? I'm told there are many demons down there of all shapes and sizes. Oh yes I'll fit right in, you on the other hand Gatō I fear you're in for a long and very painful eternity" Zabuza said in a sadistic voice.

He grabbed the business man and slashed him twice with the kunai before stepping on his glasses and driving the kunai into him once more, effectively knocking him off the bridge and to his death.

An eerie silence fell over the bridge, the genin of Team 7 as well as Tazuna stood shell shocked at what they had just seen.

The remainder of Gatō's men were silent as well, none of them moving an inch until Zabuza turned around and looked at them, his eyes wide and demonic. Some dropped their weapons and all parted like the red sea giving the rouge ninja a clear view of Team 7 and the bridge builder but more importantly Haku's body.

Dropping the bloody kunai from his mouth, Zabuza gradually staggered towards Haku's body. His vision blurring and steps uneven due to heavy blood loss, he didn't get very far before he fell to his knees.

"So this is it? The final goodbye, Haku I never got the chance to thank you. Forgive me for that" Zabuza said as he envisioned the fake tracker ninja before hitting the ground.

Watching the rouge ninja fall to the ground Sakura felt physically sick and Naruto began to turn away. "Don't turn away, when you live like a warrior this is how it ends" Kakashi said as all of Team 7 looked on sadly as well as Tazuna.

"_But with the right training you could be powerful, more powerful than any of these fools"_ Sakura recalled the words Zabuza had spoken to her, even he as sadistic and mentally messed up as he was, believed in her.

Suddenly everyone was drawn out of their reprieve by the loud tapping of the sheath of a sword on the bridge.

"Hey, yoo hoo!" Don't go getting too comfortable, this party ain't over yet" one man said angrily.

"Who's going to pay us now that Gatō's gone? Don't think we're going to leave here empty handed. We're just going to have to hit that village and see what they've got for us" another man said and this was met with cheers of approval from the rest of the group.

Kakashi surveyed his team. Everyone was shattered, and he didn't especially trust Sakura and Sasuke not to turn on each other again.

Mentally he reminded himself to have a chat with them later.

"Not good" he said aloud bringing the team's focus to him.

"Come on Kakashi, you must have jutsu that can take care of this bunch of losers!" Naruto said loudly, determined as ever.

"Not right now, I used too much of my chakra" Kakashi said.

"Get em boys!" One of the thugs yelled and the whole group charged forward. Sakura drew her kunai knife once more but she was exhausted. Mentally and physically they were all drained.

Sasuke drew his knife as well, hating himself for being exhausted and disliking Sakura even more as he blamed the fight on his mental exhaustion. Naruto was last to draw and the three genin stood between Tazuna and the large group of men.

Something flew through the air and landed right in front of the small army, stopping them in their tracks. Turning her head, Sakura saw Inari holding a crossbow and behind him a whole army of people from the village, including Tsunami.

Behind them Sakura could even see Reiko and her husband Atsushi looking healthy and well, the pink haired teen smiled. Naruto grinned at Inari and even Sasuke couldn't hold back a smirk. Kakashi breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.

"There's one little thing you're forgetting about. Before you set one foot in our village you'll have to go through us!" One man yelled out and all of the villagers cheered in agreement raising farm tools and other make-do weapons.

"They've all come, the whole village" Tazuna said smiling, tears forming in his eyes. Gatō's men looked completely shocked as they all took a step backwards in fear.

"There's no way I'm missing out on this! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled and produced five shadow clones.

"Hn, like I'd let you take over" Sasuke said with a smirk as he produced the same number of clones.

"I just might have enough chakra to help you out." Kakashi said as he produced a ridiculous number of shadow clones.

Immediately the two boys and Kakashi turned to Sakura. "Well, you're a part of this team too Sakura. Let's see those clones" the silver haired man said looking expectantly at his female student.

"Come on Sakura-chan!" Naruto said with a big smile. Sakura gave a half smile as she felt Sasuke's heavy gaze on her.

"You have got the best chakra control" the Uchiha boy said, a small attempt at a peace offering. Sakura sighed; it was something. She then proceeded to make the same sign for the shadow clone jutsu, outstripping both Sasuke and Naruto with fourteen clones. Tazuna couldn't help but grin at this last effort by the Konoha ninja to save his village.

Pleased with Sakura's clones, Kakashi turned to the remainder of Gatō's men.

"Okay still want to fight?" said the silver haired ninja and all of his clones.

Sakura's clones all cracked their knuckles, Sasuke's clones twirled kunai effortlessly and Naruto's clones were ready with the shadow clone hand sign to produce more of themselves.

"No thanks!" Gatō's men yelled as they ran to the end of the bridge and quickly tried to board the boat they had come on.

Some slipped and fell in the water as they all bid a hasty retreat.

"Victory!" Inari yelled and all the villagers cheered and began to celebrate loudly. Tazuna raced over to hug his daughter and grandson. Removing all their clones Team 7 stood still and watched as their sensei walked over to Zabuza's body.

"Sounds like it's over" Zabuza said quietly, still face down on the ground.

"Yes it is" Kakashi said quietly.

"Kakashi, I have a favour to ask" the rouge ninja asked in a raspy voice "Take me to him, I need to see him one last time" he said referring to Haku.

The genin looked on silently as Kakashi began to take the swords out of Zabuza's back and pick him up. The villagers had now stopped celebrating and had turned to watch as well. Kakashi staggered under his weight a little, but began to walk slowly back to where Haku lay carrying Zabuza. Everyone looked to the sky as it suddenly began to snow.

"Impossible, snowing at this time of year?" said one of the villagers and some talk broke out about the oddity of the weather.

But Sakura didn't hear him; she along with her teammates looked up at the falling snow quietly. Reaching Haku, Kakashi knelt down and laid Zabuza next to the boy ninja and walked back towards his team.

"You were always there beside me Haku, the least I can do is be beside you at the end" Zabuza said quietly as he used the last of his strength to reach over and touch the boy's face.

"I wish I could go to where you have gone; I wish I could join you there" The sun began to break through the clouds, illuminating Haku's body.

Naruto began to weep openly "He told me where he was from it was always snowing, all the time"

Placing her hand on Naruto's shoulder, Sakura blinked back tears. Quietly Sasuke too placed his hand on Naruto's other shoulder, he knew all too well the pain of death.

"Of course, his spirit is as pure as the snow, you never know Zabuza maybe you will join him there. Who's to say" Kakashi said quietly placing his hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

In that way, Team 7 stood together as Zabuza breathed his last.


	12. Last Day In The Land Of Waves

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Two days had passed since the events of the bridge, Kakashi and Team 7 had taken it upon themselves to bury both Zabuza and Haku side by side on a hill overlooking the Land of Waves.<p>

It was there that the blonde ninja had decided that he would create his own 'way of the ninja' and refused to follow some of the cold rules of the way of the shinobi. Kakashi had seemed pretty pleased with this notion, finally it seemed his students were experiencing growth and development….

Well, at least some of his students.

Glancing around the table on the third and final morning in the Land of Waves, Kakashi stirred his tea nervously. Naruto was stuffing his face full of various foods, along with Inari who followed the blonde ninja everywhere.

Tsunami continued to bring food to the hungry boys as she exchanged friendly banter with her father. Tazuna, having completed the bridge, maintained a cheerful mood. Thrilled at the outcome for the village and his family, the old man was on cloud nine.

Unfortunately, the cause of Kakashi's nerves was the dark auroras surrounding his other two students. Sasuke and Sakura had not been on speaking terms since their fight at the bridge, every so often they would catch each other's eye and vicious glares were exchanged.

The silver haired Jounin sighed quietly, he had hoped that the lecture he had given them would have made some difference but no avail. The mounting tension in the house was suffocating to all, except Naruto who remained oblivious as ever.

A loud knock at the door roused Kakashi from his thoughts; Tsunami placed yet another bowl of miso soup in front of Naruto before moving to answer it.

"Hello. What can I do for you?" Tsunami asked

"We wish to speak with the ninja" A deep male voice answered, Sakura turned her head towards the door in vague interest.

Hearing this Kakashi sighed to himself and took a long slurp of the sweet tea as Tsunami reappeared.

"Mr Hatake, you have some visitors" Tsunami said before collecting up the mountain of dishes stacked up on the table.

Kakashi got to his feet and headed for the door, aware of three sets of eyes glued to his back.

"This is unexpected to say the least" Kakashi said. Before him stood a group of fifty determined looking men, dressed in mock ninja outfits.

"I, Fumio Suzuki speak on behalf of all these men here. We wish to be trained by you so that if something like this happens again we will be prepared. We implore you" A stout man said, stepping forward from the front of the group.

Glancing back at his students, Kakashi offered the man a small smile through his mask. "Well I don't see why not. It is our last day here after all and we have nothing planned. Besides I think it would be good for some of us in particular"

Sakura rolled her eyes, the last comment clearly directed at herself and Sasuke but she got to her feet with her teammates nonetheless.

"OHHHHH YEAHHHH! BE PREPARED TO LEARN FROM THE BEST! NARUTO UZUMAKI FUTURE HOKAGE!" Naruto yelled, spraying the remainder of his soup all over the table. With a sheepish smile at Tsunami and a ruffle of Inari's hair he bounded towards the doorway.

Sasuke rose slowly from his own seat, giving a curt nod to Tsunami and followed the blonde boy. Kakashi extended his hand in a lazy wave to Tazuna and his family and departed outside. Trailing behind Sasuke and Naruto Sakura hadn't even reached the door when Fumio stopped her.

"With all due respect Miss Sakura, the ladies of the village have requested your presence at the tea house to show their appreciation" The stout man said rather nervously, he too had heard of the fiery temper which the teen possessed.

Sakura could feel Sasuke's eyes upon her but she was determined to hold her composure.

"**That snotty idiot would love nothing more than to see us lose it!" **Inner Sakura piped up.

Keeping a cool exterior Sakura stretched her mouth into a small smile and nodded her head at Fumio who breathed a not so quiet sigh of relief. Waving to Tsunami and Tazuna, the pink haired ninja set off in search of the tea house.

"I don't know what's scarier, Sakura angry or Sakura not being angry when she's supposed to be angry" Naruto said, staring after his teammate in confusion.

Kakashi gave a non-committal jerk of his head and began leading the large group of men towards the training grounds. The black haired boy narrowed his eyes as he watched the female member of his team depart. Just what was she playing at? 

* * *

><p>Once Tsunami's house was out of sight, Sakura lost her cool composure and stomped through the streets. Hands clenched into fists and eyes flashing, the other villagers moved out of her way warily as Sakura reached the entrance to the tea house.<p>

Opening the door, Sakura brought her hand to her nose. The stench of perfume reached her nose and it seemed as though there was no oxygen in the room at all. Her eyes began to water at the extreme smell which then resulted in a coughing fit.

"Miss Sakura! Welcome to our humble tea house" A woman rushed forward as Sakura fought to regain her breath.

Entering she found most of the women from the village dressed in kimonos pouring tea and gossiping. Many came forward to convey their thanks to her for what had occurred on the bridge.

Trying to hide her anger from what had previously occurred; Sakura took their kind words with gratitude. She was then guided to a seat next to a group of girls her age. They just so happened to be discussing a topic that made her want to break something.

Sasuke Uchiha.

"He's so gorgeous and mysterious and strong. He's a dream come true!" one girl gushed

"I wish he'd ask me out on a date, even if he is from Konoha we could do long distance!" another exclaimed hopefully.

"Sakura, you're his teammate. What's Sasuke like? Is he as amazing as they say?" someone else questioned.

Mid-way through pouring herself a cup of tea, the pink haired ninja almost dropped the tea pot. Trying to steady her tea so it didn't spill, Sakura huffed in annoyance.

"Oh he's amazing alright. An amazing selfish, cold, unappreciative asshole that cares only about himself and anyone who isn't from a prestigious clan isn't worth his time!" Finishing her rant Sakura began viciously stabbing a dumpling.

The girls surrounding her shared looks of disapproval and some of the older women tutted to themselves.

"But he's cute right?" another girl bravely ventured

"He won't be when I'm finished with him!" Sakura snapped back.

By now she had the attention of most of the women in the tea house. Deciding to drop the topic, everyone fell back into general conversation.

Sakura stared pointedly at the door hoping that she would be able to replicate Sasuke's fireball jutsu through her eyes and burn a hole in it to her freedom. When this failed, she turned her attention to the members of the tea house.

"Why aren't you interested in learning self-defence? Surely you all care enough about your home to want to do something proactive to help instead of just sitting here?" Sakura half yelled half asked at the group of very stunned women.

"Well we were kind of asked to uh stay out of the way" an unknown voice piped up. This was met with cautious nods of the head by the other women.

"So that's it huh, you're just going to take that sitting down? Well if you can't be part of Kakashi's training then I'll train you myself!" Getting up Sakura made her way towards the door with the group, scared but determined looking, behind her. 

* * *

><p>"Right this is quite a large gathering so I suppose we'll just split you up. Half of you will be taught by me, and half of you will be taught by Sasuke and Naruto" Kakashi addressed the assembled village men.<p>

Sasuke made a disparaging noise in the base of his throat upon hearing that he would be working with Naruto. The group was then divided up so that Kakashi took twenty five men and the two genin also had twenty five men.

"What exactly are we supposed to be teaching them? Sasuke abruptly interjected.

Letting his eyes wander over his assigned training group, the Uchiha boy wrinkled his nose in disgust. There was no way he would be divulging any of his bloodline traits to outsiders.

"Just self-defence training Sasuke and no nothing too difficult Naruto, think your first few days in the academy" Kakashi replied, waving both of them off.

"We were five years old during the first few days of the academy" Sasuke jeered, Naruto let out a loud snort but quickly covered his mouth when he saw the look on Kakashi's face.

"Well then Sasuke, if you could learn basic self-defence at five years old then I'm sure these fine gentlemen will have no trouble" Kakashi sarcastically remarked.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" came the angry response from Fumio

"Teach them something practical you two and no fighting" Kakashi cheerfully, completely ignoring Fumio as he ushered the rest of his group away.

"ALRIGHT TEAM! You're going to get the best lesson of your life! Prepare to learn from Konoha's future Hokage!" Naruto said excitedly to the wary men before him.

Sasuke sighed loudly, how exactly was this helping him achieve his goal? Oh right it wasn't, just another stupid task from their too-lazy-to-teach-us-something-useful sensei.

"Hn, spread apart and start stretching" Sasuke instructed.

Slightly relieved that Naruto's outburst had been interrupted; the men quickly spread apart and began copying the stretches that the black haired ninja was demonstrating.

"Teme what are you doing? That's not self-defence! They need to learn how to kick and punch!" Naruto protested doing a few martial arts moves in mid-air.

Sasuke shot Naruto his infamous and the blonde boy decided not to push his teammate any further.

"This would be a lot more fun if Sakura-chan was here" Naruto grumbled to himself as he began to stretch as well and Sasuke pretended he didn't hear.

After about an hour of going through the foundations of martial arts, Sasuke was frustrated to the brink of insanity. The men of the Land of Waves were skilled at many things, their knowledge of the sea, fishing and construction but to Sasuke it was no wonder this land had no ninja of its own.

He had lost count of how many times he had corrected someone's stance or straighten an arm. The Uchiha boy was willing to forgive the lack of correct technique as they were beginners, but this was not what had irked him.

The incessant whining and complaining from his 'students' had annoyed him to no end. Even Naruto, who had relished in the idea of himself as the sensei for the day, couldn't stand another minute of it.

"I bet this is some weird twisted way for Kakashi-sensei to teach us a lesson about how much it sucks to be a sensei" Naruto casually remarked to Sasuke from his position on the ground.

The two boys had called a ten minute break (to give their ears a break from the whining) which was now stretching into its thirtieth minute. This didn't seem to bother the villagers who sat in small groups talking.

"Yeah, probably but there is no way you whine as much as these guys" Sasuke replied with a jerk of his head towards the men.

Naruto chuckled and Sasuke couldn't stop the smirk spreading across his face.

"You are going to apologise to her, aren't you?" Naruto asked, mildly adjusting his forehead protector.

Sasuke's head snapped up immediately, eyes hardened as he stared at his teammate who was acting strangely serious.

"I don't see why I should apologise. It was her fault" Sasuke answered back stubbornly.

It probably would have been acceptable to pout and cross his arms like a sulky five year old but Uchiha's didn't pout.

"Yeah but we're a team you know. Think about all the times Sakura's apologised to you, most of the time it was over nothing" Naruto reasoned.

Sasuke decided he preferred stupid oblivious Naruto to wise and right Naruto.

"I still don't see why I should…. oh fine I'll apologise" Sasuke eventually conceded and Naruto grinned like an idiot.

Rolling his eyes, the Uchiha boy mumbled something that was barely audible

"You'll have to speak up Teme, I can't hear you" Naruto teased in a gloating voice.

Getting the great Sasuke Uchiha to hold a conversation for more than a minute was a feat not many could boast.

"I don't know how to apologise to girls" Sasuke muttered quickly, deliberately averting his eyes from his blonde teammate whose grin stretched even further across his face.

"Don't worry Teme, I happened to be well versed in situations such as these" Naruto said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Sasuke wanted nothing more than to throw up, it just so happened at that moment that Kakashi reappeared with his extremely bruised and exhausted group.

"Don't over exert yourself will you boys?" Kakashi chortled as Naruto and Sasuke stood up quite abruptly.

The two groups of villagers re-united once more, Kakashi's group complaining of exhaustion and sore muscles. The boy's group promptly began their woeful story of lack of professional training and lamentations that they were not in the Jounin's group. Sasuke had a sudden urge to fireball jutsu the lot of them.

"Sensei, can we go and collect Sakura-chan now? Sasuke has something he wants to say to her" Naruto asked with a wink which didn't go unnoticed by Kakashi whose eyes crinkled under his mask.

"That sounds like an excellent idea Naruto, the first one you've had all mission I believe. We have a few more hours before we have to leave for Konoha. You men might as well come too, I'm sure your female counterparts will be happy to see you" Kakashi remarked and adjusted his ninja pouch, leaving the villagers to follow him.

"Don't worry Teme, follow my advice and nothing can go wrong" Naruto confidently spoke.

Sasuke knew nothing good could come from Naruto's help. 

* * *

><p>"OH MY GOD! MY TEA HOUSE! MY DOOR! MY GOD DAMN DOOR!"<p>

The shriek could be heard from streets away, but considering Kakashi and his team plus the men from the village were standing right near the entrance, the sound was deafening.

Sasuke's eye twitched and Naruto pressed his hands over his ears. A very angry looking woman emerged from the tea house to examine doorway and her lack of door.

"Hi, you wouldn't happen to have seen a pink haired girl around would you?" Kakashi asked rather nervously, the door had been ripped off its hinges and only Sakura possessed that kind of strength.

"Happened to have seen her? Of course I've seen her! SHE WAS THE ONE WHO RIPPED MY DOOR OF ITS HINGES! Leading a whole group of women out of here to train them or something! SHE'S RUINED MY TEA HOUSE!" The old woman bellowed at the top of her voice.

She attempted to turn around and slam the non-existent door but remembered it wasn't there anymore and stomped back inside. Rubbing the back of his neck, Kakashi turned around to face the group of slightly confused men.

"Ah, it would seem Sakura has um taken your wives and uh daughters and so on for some uh training" Kakashi stated awkwardly to which there was a great uproar.

The men began complaining loudly to the silver haired man about how they did not give permission for this to happen.

While Kakashi tried to smooth things over, Naruto looked at Sasuke slightly concerned. Sakura and an army of women did not sound like something a mere apology could fix. 

* * *

><p>"Right so how many of you have ever done any sort of self-defence training?" Sakura asked cautiously, when no hands were raised she wasn't that surprised.<p>

She had managed to lead the women to a large grassy area just outside of the village. Even better than that, Sakura had borrowed a scarecrow from one of the farmers which would act as some sort of mock training dummy. Hopefully if her training went according to plan, there wouldn't be much left of the scarecrow. Sakura would count this as a positive, although the farmer who she borrowed it from probably wouldn't.

"Okay, that's not totally unexpected. How about fitness? Have any of you gone for a jog or something like that?" Sakura ventured and the response was the same.

"**Back to basics then?"** Inner Sakura suggested and Sakura smiled inwardly.

"First off I'm going to ask all of you to remove your jewellery and probably put your hair up if you can" the pink haired ninja instructed.

At once the women began to turn to each other and fret about their hair and the state of their kimonos. Some blatantly refused to follow the instructions and instead sat on the sidelines to watch.

"Well for those of you remaining, spread apart and copy the stretches I do" Sakura then began to pull her arms over her head and stretch.

The women at once began to follow Sakura's lead and replicated the stretches, some quite easily and some with a little difficulty. The kimonos probably didn't help but it would take weeks of training to build up their flexibility and stamina. However considering they didn't have that time, the warm up was brief but effective.

Sakura then positioned the scarecrow-turned-training-dummy at the front of the group, and organised everyone into one line.

"One of the most basic self-defence techniques is a well-executed punch. You want to curl your hand into a fist and tuck your thumb in front of your fingers. The idea is to land the hit with your first two knuckles, they're much stronger than the others" Sakura said, demonstrating with her left hand.

The pink haired teen then went down the line, correcting grip and thumb position. When she was satisfied she made her way back to the front.

"My punches will always be stronger than yours because I have chakra, but you can also deliver a strong punch if you twist your hips" Sakura said, making the twisting motion and resting her fist before twisting and throwing it forward.

Tsunade had shown her this in their training: how to throw an effective hit, even if you're out of chakra.

Sakura's 'students' seemed to be getting the general idea so she pulled the first person forward to try out their new technique on the scarecrow.

The hit was feeble to say the least but not wanting to discourage anyone, Sakura smiled and asked the next person to come forward.

Again another feeble hit, if anything the scarecrow could have done more damage. This carried on for the next couple of minutes until the pink haired teen stopped them, clearly frustrated.

"I'm starting to think you guys need some motivation" Sakura said with a smirk. 

* * *

><p>"What exactly are they doing?" Fumio demanded.<p>

Kakashi and the boys plus the male villagers were standing at the edge of the large grassy area, peering into the distance. A blob of pink could be seen clearly but Kakashi congratulated himself on his chakra tracking skills as Sakura had not masked hers.

"Well it would seem Sakura is running a fairly effective training program. She even managed to secure a training dummy. Perhaps she should have been present at this morning's exercise" Kakashi remarked, holding back a laugh.

Naruto nodded his head vigorously and Sasuke said nothing, the men began clucking to themselves about the abilities of the young girl.

"THAT'S FOR SAYING MY DUMPLINGS WERE TOO DRY" one woman screamed as she punched the scarecrow dummy.

"THIS IS FOR THAT ONE VALENTINES DAY WHERE YOU SPENT THE WHOLE DATE LOOKING AT THE WAITRESS! HI-YA!" another called loudly as she too threw a strong punch making the scarecrow lose some of his stuffing.

"That sounds like my wife Hana" A man from the back called out, the three members of Team 7 exchanged nervous looks with each other

Good! Well done! Use that anger, let it all out" Sakura coached loud enough for Kakashi to hear.

"Well I'd better go and put a stop to this I guess. Shame because she is doing a rather good job…." The silver haired Jounin trailed off as some of the men began to growl rather loudly.

Before he could even move Naruto stopped him.

"Wait sensei, Teme is going to handle this one. Aren't you?" Naruto said with a sly grin, Sasuke shifted uncomfortably but gave Kakashi a nod.

The older ninja smiled under his mask, this was sure to be interesting.

"Remember what I told you" Naruto whispered, Sasuke masked his chakra and moved forward slowly.

Undetected by Sakura, the black haired ninja spied a large clump of trees he could hide in and figure out his game plan. Using a burst of chakra he managed to dive into the trees before Sakura could see him.

What was Naruto's advice again?

"_If you want Sakura-chan's forgiveness you have to stir her heart" Naruto informed him and Sasuke grimaced._

"_Look Dobe I don't want to stir her heart, I didn't agree to that. I'm just going to apologise" Sasuke said with conviction, it was bad enough he had to do that._

"_Don't be an idiot Sasuke-bastard. I read it in this lifestyle magazine. You can't give a woman an old 'I'm sorry'. Besides if you stir Sakura-chan's heart then she'll forgive you for anything" the blonde ninja urged._

"_Fine idiot. What do I have to do to 'stir her heart'?" Sasuke reluctantly asked and Naruto grinned triumphantly_

"_All you have to do is whisper in her ear, she'll go to mush!" Naruto exclaimed happily but Sasuke glared at him suspiciously._

"_Trust me! I've done it loads of times!" Naruto assured him._

Sasuke could never actually remember a girl being 'stirred' by the blond boy, unless it was stirred into a violent frenzy of rage.

"Right, whisper in her ear, got it" he muttered to himself as he lept down from the trees and stealthily made his way over to Sakura.

Thankfully the women were much too focused on letting their anger out on the straw scarecrow to notice the Uchiha prodigy approaching.

Sakura too had her back to him, focused on her training. Her group was doing well with the right… _motivation_. T

heir punches were strong but not strong enough. Waving her hands, Sakura tried to get the attention of the women but no avail.

Sasuke was a meter away from Sakura, still undetected. Kakashi, with the use of binoculars he had in his ninja pouch was watching the scene with an amused smirk.

"You're still not using enough force ladies" The pink haired teen remarked.

The women could quite clearly see Sasuke behind her and some of the younger girls began to giggle. The Uchiha boy scowled and motioned for them to be quiet.

Sasuke's lips were inches away from Sakura's ear. "_Hey there"_ he began to whisper but it was too late.

"When you punch you've got to PULL BACK AND STRIKE!" Sakura yelled loudly, turned around to demonstrate the motion and punched Sasuke straight into the air.

The girls of the group cried out loudly, Sakura gasped in shock, Kakashi's smirk widened and Naruto's eyes filled with terror.

"TEME'S GOING TO KILL ME!" Naruto screamed as he ran onto the grassy field towards Sasuke and Sakura.

The male villagers charged after him towards the group of women with Kakashi bringing up the rear, nose buried in his orange book.

Sasuke hit the ground with a large thump and Sakura immediately ran over to him.

He felt his shoulder pop out of place and hissed in pain. Helping him into a sitting position, Sakura began to push on his shoulder and Sasuke growled at her.

"What the hell are you doing?" he spat

"What does it look like; I'm popping your shoulder back into place" Sakura barked. With a loud snap, the joints connected and Sasuke rolled his shoulder a couple of times.

"Thank you would be nice" Sakura mumbled

"Thank you? For what? You're the one that caused this injury!" Sasuke argued.

"Well what were you doing sneaking up on me like that?" Sakura fired back, just as furious

"SASUKE-TEME, SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto bellowed out, running over to them before Sasuke had a chance to answer.

"You! You're dead meat" Sasuke said as Naruto approached, the latter let out a nervous shriek and Sasuke attempted to get up but Sakura prevented it.

"What the hell?" Sasuke said again, glaring at his teammate.

"I need to make sure your shoulder is okay" Sakura replied angrily, using more force than necessary and Sasuke let out a loud hiss.

"Have you said it yet teme?" Naruto asked from behind Sakura's shoulder.

"No, because when I tried to as you put it 'stir her heart' she punched me!" Sasuke retorted.

"Wait, stir my heart? And say what Sasuke?" Sakura asked, confused.

"I was behind you when you punched me because I was trying to apologise for what happened on the bridge. Even though you know some of it is your fault… but anyway Naruto said the only way to apologise to a girl is to stir her heart and I tried to do that by whispering but then punched me and uh…." Sasuke trailed off as Sakura was smirking.

This was the most anyone had heard Sasuke say in well, ever.

"So you're apologising then? For the bridge" she asked

"Yeah I guess so" Sasuke said, glaring at Naruto who looked at Sakura nervously.

"Well I accept your apology, and I guess I apologise too for what I said" Sakura admitted, smiling slightly and offered Sasuke her hand which he took.

Ignoring the butterflies that erupted at her touch, the Uchiha prodigy offered Sakura the smallest of smiles and then fixed his attention on Naruto.

"Right dobe, you're going to pay for that 'stirring your heart crap" Sasuke said, getting up slowly and raising his fist at the blonde ninja.

"While I'm sure we'd all love to see that, we do have to be on our way home" Kakashi interjected as he stood between Sasuke and Naruto.

"Sasuke you can kill Naruto later, Sakura you have some explaining to do that group of gentlemen over there and the lady from the Tea House. I'll see you all at Tazuna's place" he continued cheerfully.

With that the copycat ninja disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"We could have never finished the bridge without you, I can't tell you how much we're going to miss you" Tazuna spoke softly.

"Be careful on your way back now won't you? I packed each of you some food for the journey" Tsunami said happily.

"Thank you for everything" Kakashi replied graciously.

A large number of the village had turned out to fair well them. Sakura recognised the group of women from the tea house who all waved happily. After speaking to the male villagers on the importance of self-defence they understood about the whole tea house adventure.

"Now now, don't get all choked up. We'll come back and visit real soon" Naruto promised as Inari began to tear up.

"You swear you will?" The little boy asked, Tazuna put a hand on his head to comfort him.

"Of course, you know Inari it's alright to cry if you want to. There's nothing wrong with that" Naruto said, his voice shaking and a watery smile gracing his features.

"Who says I want to cry, besides if it's okay to cry why you don't go first?" Inari retorted, trying not to cry

"No, you first" Naruto croaked. Both boys engaged in a Mexican stand off to see who would be the first to cry before the blonde ninja turned around suddenly with a river of tears trickling down his face. Sasuke looked at him in disgust and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"SAKURA-CHAN, SAKURA-CHAN!" A little girl ran past Tazuna followed by an older woman.

"Mika? Reiko?" Sakura rushed forward and picked up Mika swinging her around. The little girl giggled as Reiko approached the pink haired teen.

"Sorry, she wanted to say goodbye. So did I for that matter. Thank you so much for what you did for our family. Atsushi is getting better thanks to you" Reiko said happily.

"This is for you Sakura-chan, for your help" Mika offered a small gift wrapped in tissue paper which Sakura took gratefully. Unwrapping it she found a small hair pin in the shape of a cherry blossom.

"Thank you both so much, give my best to Atsushi. Bye Mika, I'll be back to visit soon" Sakura trilled, waving them off as she left the entrance to the bridge with her teammates.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke inquired, Kakashi and Naruto turned their heads as well.

"Oh nothing, just some friends I made" Sakura replied innocently. 

* * *

><p>"It was all their doing, each of them made you stronger in some way Inari and you in turn made us stronger. It was thanks to them we were able to build a bridge to a place we've never known. A place where we found our courage, a place to fulfil our dreams" Tazuna mused out loud.<p>

"Speaking of the bridge, now that it's finished shouldn't we name it?" Fumio spoke up

"Of course and I know just the name" The bridge builder replied smugly

"You do? What?" Fumio asked as the village watched the ninja's retreating backs.

"We'll call it The Great Team 7 Bridge" Tazuna proclaimed proudly.


	13. Chunin Exams Part 1

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>"I never thought I'd miss my house so much" Sakura thought as she rifled through her mission pack, searching for her keys.<p>

After much digging around Sakura reached for the doorknob but found the door already unlocked, pushing it open she took a tentative step into the house. It wasn't like her mother, or father to leave the house unlocked and unattended. They were ex elite ninja after all. Drawing her kunai from its holster she took a few more steps.

"Okaasan? Otousan?" Sakura called out quietly gripping her kunai tightly.

"In here Sakura" a voice uttered from the living room.

Recognising her mother's voice, Sakura loosened the grip on her weapon, but it remained by her side as she walked cautiously through to the living room. Her mother sat on one of the couches opposite two ANBU officers, after being waved over Sakura took a seat beside her mother.

"This is my daughter Sakura, Sakura these gentlemen are part of the ANBU unit" Keiko said, gesturing towards the two men whose faces were concealed with animal masks.

Sakura gave a small nod and swallowed hard, there was only one reason the ANBU could be here.

"Has something happened to my father?" the teen stammered, looking anxiously at her mother.

"Takao Haruno and his team were due to arrive back at 4pm, two days ago" one of the officers with a cat mask said.

"We were instructed to notify family and friends that they had not returned. At this stage nothing is official but if they are still not back in three days we have no choice but to classify them as missing ninja" the other officer finished.

"W-what? Surely something can be done? A search party, something? Please, my father is older now! He is not as strong as he used to be! We have to help him!" Sakura cried

"Sakura honey, don't get so upset. It is perfectly normal for a team to take longer than expected on a mission. Especially when the ranking is so high" Keiko reassured, giving her daughter a hug.

"You must be tired after your mission, go upstairs and unpack. I will make us something to eat and you can tell me all about it!" Keiko smiled.

Sakura nodded at her mother and the two ANBU officers before proceeding upstairs to unpack. As soon as her daughter was out of earshot, Keiko's face turned grave.

"I'm sorry, but I must not allow my daughter to become distraught over this" Mrs Haruno said quietly.

"We understand, however the dangerous nature of the mission and the fact that your husband is retired means that the outcome looks grim should he not return home in three days. We are sorry to have given you such news" the cat mask officer said before both men disappeared.

Keiko sank onto the couch with her head in her hands. "Takao, please come home soon. I cannot do this alone" she thought to herself as she tried to blink back the tears threatening to fall.

"Okaasan! I can't find anymore clothing hangers!" Sakura yelled from upstairs. Keiko quickly stood up and forced a smile before climbing the staircase to her daughter.

"I will try to shield you from this Sakura, I promise"

* * *

><p>Sakura was up bright and early the next morning… although not by choice. Kakashi had instructed they start their next mission as soon as possible. Team 7 was told to meet at the bridge by seven, Sakura had set her alarm for six but by the time she finally woke up it was six thirty<p>

Frantically she threw on her ninja clothes and rushed around the room looking for her kunai knife and forehead protector. Running full speed into the kitchen she quickly poured cereal and began shovelling it into her mouth.

"Late huh Sakura?" Mrs Haruno smirked, stirring her coffee. Sakura rolled her eyes at her mother and attempted to speak with her mouth full of cereal but only succeeded in dribbling milk everywhere.

At a quarter to seven, the pink haired ninja barreled out of her front door and ran quickly to the bridge Kakashi had nominated.

"**Why the hell are we rushing anyway? You know that old pervert is going to be late!" **Inner Sakura demanded. Although her Inner had a point, Sakura didn't stop her haste to the bridge. That was until she saw a familiar crop of spiky black hair.

With all the current worry about her father, Sakura had almost forgotten about the awkwardness between herself and the Uchiha prodigy. Although he did apologise for what had occurred between them during the Land of Waves mission, Sakura was still unsure where exactly she stood with Sasuke.

"**Don't stop running now girl! Look who's brooding at the bridge, sporting some freshly styled hair and looking fine!" **

Apparently perverted Inner Sakura knew where they stood, or rather where she wanted them to stand. Standing still, the pink haired ninja debated what exactly she was supposed to do. His apology had been genuine and she had forgiven him, but the whole journey back to the village they'd barely spoken to each other.

"Get it together Haruno" she muttered as she walked onto the bridge.

Sasuke raised his head and nodded at Sakura who in turn gave a small wave. Leaning against the railing the two teens fell into an awkward silence.

"Um, nice weather today huh?" Sakura began.

"Hn. Yeah it's okay" Sasuke replied.

"How late do you think Kakashi will be?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know, maybe an hour" Sasuke mused.

"Well that'll be two hours in Kakashi time" Sakura joked.

"Hn. Yeah, or maybe he'll read his pervert book and make it even longer" Sasuke smirked.

Sakura chuckled quietly and Sasuke's smirk grew bigger, if they couldn't deal with the awkwardness head on, at least they could make fun of Kakashi.

"GOOD MORNING SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled, racing up to his teammates. A huge grin plastered on his face, Sakura wondered if the blonde boy ever felt tired.

Naruto's mood soon soured as he laid eyes on Sasuke, both boys glared at each other enviously. Sasuke turned his attention back to the water below and Naruto stood with his back to the Uchiha boy.

_Oh right, of course. The rivalry, ever since the Land of Waves it's like being stuck with a couple of children,_ Sakura sighed.

"**Hurry up Kakashi-sensei or you've had it!" **Inner Sakura roared.

* * *

><p><em><strong>2 Hours Later<strong>_

"Hey guys, good morning. Sorry I was late but I got lost on the path of life" Kakashi spoke, appearing calmly out of nowhere.

"WHAT?" Sakura and Naruto yelled together as Sasuke rolled his eyes. Ignoring them, the silver haired ninja jumped down from the archway.

"I'm ready for the next ninja mission sensei, and hey no more of this dumb beginner stuff okay? I want a chance to prove myself; I'm talking a real mission! I GOTTA BREAK OUT AND BURN IT UP!" Naruto urged, invading Kakashi's personal space to get his point across.

"Uh, right. I get it. That's great Naruto… now take it easy would you?" The Jounin replied.

Looking very put out, Naruto glared viciously at Sasuke who completely ignored him. Sakura couldn't wait for the day to be over.

"Right now, today we're going to be taking things a little easy, doing a few chores around the village, first up pulling weeds!" Kakashi said cheerily.

Pulling out his orange book, he began to lead the way. Team 7 exchanged apprehensive looks before following their sensei.

Sakura tugged at the stubborn weeds, slowly but surely she was clearing her assigned patch of garden. Sasuke sat a little away from her, expertly pulling them out. Kakashi was inside, no doubt flirting with the pretty young lady who had greeted them. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto had been sent straight outside by a grumpy looking older woman who demanded they get every single last weed.

"**Stupid old hag! That lazy woman should be doing this herself! It's her garden anyway! Who gets a ninja to pull out weeds?"** Inner Sakura huffed in annoyance.

"Hn. Sakura, what's the dobe doing?" Sasuke asked, pulling Sakura out of her thoughts.

Naruto was standing proudly next to a huge pile of weeds. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Hah! Take that Sasuke-teme! I pulled out all the weeds before you!" Naruto exclaimed proudly.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing!" the old woman yelled.

"Oh hey lady, I pulled out all your weeds!" the blonde boy said, smirking triumphantly at Sasuke.

"You pulled out the weeds, but you also pulled out my plants! Those were special herbs I was growing AND YOU DESTROYED THEM!" she screamed and began hitting Naruto.

Next up was the task of fishing litter out of the river, Kakashi sat on the bank relaxing as the genin threw rubbish into baskets on their back. The event almost resulted in Naruto's death had it not been for Sasuke who grabbed the blonde ninja before he could go over the giant waterfall.

Last but certainly not least was the dog walking exercise, in which Naruto was dragged through a mine field because he chose the biggest dog to walk. All in all, a terrible day for the blonde boy and a tedious day for Sasuke and Sakura. Kakashi seemed to be the only one who enjoyed it.

Supporting Naruto's weight between them, Sasuke and Sakura helped their teammate into the village centre. Kakashi trailed behind, still reading from his orange book.

Sakura sighed; this whole day was a waste as far as she could see. Sasuke and Naruto's rivalry was getting to the point of ridiculousness. Naruto spent the whole day trying to prove himself bigger and stronger than Sasuke; every attempt failed which resulted in Sasuke making fun of Naruto who would get louder and more aggravated.

The whole cycle then repeated itself and Sakura was close to snapping. Naruto sighed loudly next to her.

"Hn. You're just one big problem Naruto" Sasuke smirked.

"SASSSUKKKKEEE!" Naruto screamed and lunged from the Uchiha boy. Before things could escalate, Sakura threw her arm in front of Naruto to prevent him from moving.

"ENOUGH! If you keep this up I'll finish you!" Sakura growled.

"There goes what little progress we made on the whole teamwork thing" Kakashi muttered. Sakura inwardly agreed as Sasuke began to walk away.

"That's right our teamwork is all messed up and it's all because of you Sasuke! You think you're better than everyone else?" Naruto demanded, raising his fist.

"Not everyone, just you. Face it. I'm better and stronger than you are. It's a fact. Unless you have what it takes to prove me wrong?" Sasuke retorted, turning around to face Naruto.

Both stood opposite one another, as though preparing for a fight. Sakura stood off to the side, growing angrier by the minute. Sasuke's arrogance and Naruto's stupidity as well as their refusal to work together was driving her to boiling point.

_I don't have time to waste on Naruto and these lame missions. There are still ninja out there who can out fight me! I've got to hone my skills so I can beat them, _ Sasuke thought as he stared Naruto down.

"All right guys, let's call it a day. You can beat each other to a pulp some other time. Besides I've got to file my report on this mission" Kakashi sighed, growing tired of the bickering. With a puff of white smoke he disappeared.

"Whatever I'm out of here" Sasuke said, nodding a goodbye to Sakura he turned and left.

"Don't worry about Sasuke, you and I can work on our team work all day Sakura!" Naruto called out.

"Um, no thanks Naruto. Maybe some other time? I've got somewhere to be yeah?" Sakura replied quietly.

"Yeah, um I've got training to do as well" Naruto said, a little dejected.

Before either of them could move, a cardboard box disguised as a rock began creeping up towards them slowly. Naruto took a few steps but the box was persistent, he broke into a run but it continued to follow him. Sakura could only stand there with a mixture of amusement and annoyance on her face.

"That's the worse disguise of all time! There's no such thing as square rocks! It's obvious!" Naruto shouted, pointing his finger at the box.

"You saw through my disguise again! You're slick boss!" a muffled voice announced. It was followed by a loud explosion and the appearance of three…preschool children. Sakura sighed; she was much too tired to deal with any of this.

Naruto began to bicker back and forth with the young children, the Konohamaru ninja squad as they called themselves.

"Come on boss! You promised you'd play ninja with us today!" Konohamaru shouted loudly.

"A ninja playing ninja? That's twisted" Sakura taunted. Naruto immediately blushed a bright red.

Staring at Naruto, Sakura wondered to herself how they were ever going to pull together as a real team. With the rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto so intense, how exactly did she fit into the picture at all? Her intense gaze made the blonde boy slightly uncomfortable and he began to laugh nervously. The children looked back and forth between their idol and this mystery girl.

"Ah! You're a smooth operator boss! I know she's your… girlfriend!" Konohamaru teased.

Sakura's eyes immediately flashed, all the frustration of today plus the fighting and bickering had left her temper frayed once again. Not to mention the fact that no matter what she did she it didn't seem like she fit in with Team 7 at all.

"Well you can tell she's really crazy about me huh?" Naruto replied smugly.

"THAT'S IT!" Sakura hollered and punch the blonde idiot in the face, sending him flying into the nearest fence.

"WHAT KIND OF GIRLFRIEND ARE YOU?" Konohamaru squeaked. His friends quickly ran to check on Naruto who was lying face down on the ground.

"YOU'RE A WITCH, AND YOU'RE UGLY TOO!" he continued, yelling.

"**OH HELL NO! MAKE HIM PAY!" **Inner Sakura screamed as Sakura cracked her knuckles.

WHAM! THUMP!

Sakura started to walk away, leaving Naruto and Konohamaru lying beaten up on the ground. It felt good to release that anger. Both boys got slowly to their feet and looked at the pink haired girl in disbelief.

"I don't even think she's human, did you see how wide her forehead was?" Konohamaru called out.

Sakura's head whipped around with robotic precision. A moment of deadly silence fell before she turned and charged like a freight train straight for Naruto and the children who ran for their lives.

"Ow!" Konohamaru yelled suddenly.

Sakura stopped running; she hadn't even got her hands on the obnoxious brat! In front of her, Naruto and the other children had come to a stop. Konohamaru was on the ground in front of a boy dressed in all black with what looked like a mummy on his back. His female companion had a fan strapped to her.

"Can I help you with something?" the boy asked darkly.

In a flashed, the strange boy had Konohamaru in the air, his fist pulling tightly on the scarf draped around the little boy's neck.

"So does this hurt punk?" The boy asked smugly as he tightened his hold.

"Put him down Kankuro or you know you'll pay for it later" the girl with the fan interjected.

"Look it was my fault, I apologise" Sakura said diplomatically. Exactly who the hell were they anyway?

"HEY YOU BETTER TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF HIM RIGHT NOW!" Naruto screeched. Kankuro paused momentarily and spied the markings on the blond boy's forehead protector.

_So these are the leaf village genin,_ he thought.

"We've got a few minutes before he gets here, let's mess with these punks huh" Kankuro taunted, speaking to the girl as he gripped Konohamaru harder.

"Let go of me you jerk!" Konohamaru demanded, attempting to kick the older ninja.

"You're feisty, but not for long" Kankuro said, as Konohamaru struggled to get free.

"I SAID PUT HIM DOWN!" Naruto yelled and charged towards Kankuro. But before the blonde boy could get anywhere near Kankuro he was stopped in his tracks and thrown backwards.

"W-what the? What was that?" Naruto burst out. Sakura could only stare at the mysterious ninja, how did he possess that kind of ability?

"You're only Genin too? Looks like your village is full of wimps" Kankuro drawled, clearly bored with the lack of talent.

_These guys are outsiders from somewhere, but what are they doing here?, _Sakura mused. Konohamaru continued to struggle against the iron grip of the older ninja.

Naruto glared angrily at Kankuro, clenching his fists tightly. "Naruto's going to do something reckless and get himself seriously beaten up" Sakura sighed.

"Listen, you've made your point. You're a big strong tough ninja, a little kid ran into you and you are practically choking him to death. Congratulations. I don't know what you're doing in our village but you need to put him down before this gets out of hand" Sakura said sarcastically, stepping in front of Naruto and the others.

"Hmph. You got a big mouth sweet heart. You're all annoying. I don't like runts or scrawny weaklings. So when a wimp like this starts shooting off his mouth, I just want to break him in half" Kankuro replied angrily.

"Fine, but I'm not involved in any of this okay?" the girl with the fan grumbled.

Sakura rolled her eyes, so much for diplomacy. She was tired and grumpy and the last thing she needed were a bunch of foreign ninja threatening her.

"Well Naruto, looks like we've got to teach this jerk a lesson huh?" Sakura hissed angrily, cracking her knuckles.

"Uh-huh! You said it Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied happily, adjusting his forehead protector.

"Fine. First I'll take out this wimp, and then I'll waste you two!" Kankuro declared, cocking his fist back ready to strike Konohamaru in the face.

Sakura and Naruto lept forward quickly but before anything could occur, Konohamaru fell to the ground and Kankuro stood shocked clutching his wrist. A stone skidded along the path before coming to a stop at Sakura's feet.

"You're a long way from home and you're way out of your league. You really should have listened to my teammate. She tends to be right a lot of the time" Sasuke said, sitting on a tree branch tossing a second stone in his hand.

Sakura couldn't help but smirk at the Uchiha boy. The comment about her being right was a nice touch. Naruto on the other hand was less than thrilled about the appearance of his rival. Kankuro stared up at the boy with a look of pure hatred, a blush settled on the cheeks of the girl carrying the fan who glanced at the new arrival.

"Naruto!" Konohamaru yelled as he rushed over to his 'boss', glad to be free from Kankuro's grasp.

"Oh great, another wimp to tick me off" Kankuro scoffed.

"Get lost" Sasuke replied in a monotone voice, crushing the rock in his hand to dust.

"So cool!" Moegi the female in Konohamaru squad gushed loudly. Sakura snickered to herself.

Meanwhile Naruto tapped his fingers together, an exasperated expression on his face.

"Hey boss! How come you're not cool like that?" Konohamaru asked loudly, pointing his finger.

"Ah! Hey w-what do you mean? I could have taken that guy out in three seconds flat!" Naruto said frantically, trying to reassure the younger boy.

Sakura sighed, she'd bet all her money that inwardly the blonde boy was having a meltdown about how Sasuke was trying to show him up again.

"Hey punk, get down here. You're the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most. All attitude and nothing to back it up" Kankuro said angrily, reaching for one of the bandages on the mummy.

"W-what? Are you going to use the crow for this!?" The girl asked in horror. The mummy that had previous been strapped to Kankuro's back was now standing up against him, some of the bandages floating around in mid-air.

"Kankuro. Back off"

* * *

><p>Sasuke froze immediately; the unknown voice sounded as though it was right next to him! Sakura quickly looked up and saw a red haired boy standing upside down on a tree branch next to Sasuke.<p>

"Man, what's with all these freaks having objects stuck to their backs?" Naruto thought as he too noticed the upside down ninja who looked as though he had a giant peanut strapped to him.

"You're an embarrassment to our village" the red haired boy said in a monotone voice. Kankuro and the fan girl immediately looked terrified.

"Uh um hey Gaara" Kankuro said quietly, losing all the bravado from before.

_How did he get there? He didn't make a sound? Only Jounin at Kakashi's level are that smooth _Sasuke thought as he watched Gaara out of the corner of his eye.

"Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" Gaara uttered in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"I-I know. I mean they challenged us; they started the whole thing really. See here's what happened-"

"Shut up" Gaara said, cutting Kankuro off "or I'll kill you"

"Uh right. I was totally out of line and I'm sorry Gaara" Kankuro stammered his apology.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused" the red haired ninja spoke, directing the apology to Sasuke.

Suddenly Gaara disappeared in a whirlwind of sand and quickly reappeared next to Kankuro and his female teammate.

"Let's go, we didn't come here to play games" Gaara instructed.

"Uh, right. Sure I get it" Kankuro said and the three outsider ninja began to depart. Sakura watched them leave and made a snap decision.

"Hold it. Your headband clearly shows the mark of the village Hidden in the Sand. The land of Fire and Wind are allies, but no shinobi is permitted to enter another's village without permission. State your business" Sakura demanded.

"Really, have you guys all been living under a rock? You really don't know what's going on do you? We have permission" The girl with the fan said in a cocky voice, holding up a permission slip with photo ID. Sakura quickly scanned the form; the fan girl's name was Temari.

"Of course you're right, we are Hidden Sand Genin. Our home is the land of Wind and we're here for the Chunin exams. Get the picture?" Temari scoffed.

"The Chunin exams? What's that? I've never heard of anything like that, believe it!" Naruto asked confused.

"Oh I believe it all right, that you're totally clueless" Temari said clearly amused.

"They're the exams every Genin has to take in order to become a fully-fledged Chunin" Sakura explained with a tone of exasperation.

"Oh right! Why didn't you say so? I'm so there!" Naruto exclaimed loudly. Sasuke jumped down expertly from the tree and landed next to Sakura.

"Hey you! Identify yourself" the Uchiha prodigy called out to the Sand genin who were walking away.

"Hmm? You me mean?" Temari turned around, blushing. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"No. The guy with the gourd on his back" Sasuke replied, ignoring Temari.

"My name is Gaara of the desert. I'm curious about you too, who are you?" Gaara answered, turning around to face the black haired boy.

"I am Sasuke Uchiha"

Both genin stood facing each other in a long drawn out silence. Sakura felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up to see Temari staring back at her.

"You there. You're a quick thinker. I'm Temari. Who are you?" the female Sand ninja asked confidently.

"I'm Sakura Haruno" Sakura smirked.

"Well Sakura, your boyfriend is very cute. You'll have to watch it once all the other female genin from the other lands get a look at him! I look forward to fighting you!" Temari called out rather cheerfully.

Sakura turned a light shade of red, it was pretty clear who Temari was referring to. Sneaking a quick look at Sasuke, she noticed the tips of his ears were a bright red. Before Sakura could correct the mistake, Naruto jumped in.

"Hey there! I bet you three are dying to know my name!" Naruto asked loudly.

"I couldn't care less" Gaara responded monotone before all three disappeared.

"Hey Konohamaru do I seem uncool or something?" Naruto crouched down and asked the young ninja.

"Yeah, compared to Sasuke you are pretty lame" Konohamaru responded. Naruto promptly began to freak out.

Unbeknown to Team 7, three mystery ninja had been hiding in a nearby tree listening to every word that had been said.

"What do you think Dosu?" one man asked

"The usual weaklings, nothing special. But the one from the Uchiha clan and that desert rat, we should watch them carefully" the other replied. 

* * *

><p>"WHY WHY WHY! IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME! HE SETS THE TIME AND WE HAVE TO WAIT HOURS FOR HIM! IT'S NOT FAIR!" Naruto bellowed at ear splitting volume.<p>

Once again Team 7 were waiting at the bridge for Kakashi to make an appearance. After the confrontation with the Sand ninja yesterday, Sakura was sure she had slept for hours. But it felt like she hadn't slept in weeks.

_At least with the information about the Chunin exams, Sasuke and Naruto's rivalry has taken a back seat,_ she thought to as she stood next to the Uchiha boy watching her blonde teammate go into meltdown.

"WHAT ABOUT MY FEELINGS? I RUSHED HERE SO FAST I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO BRUSH MY TEETH OR CHANGE MY UNDERWEAR!" Naruto screeched even louder. Sasuke wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"You didn't… that's really gross Naruto" Sakura commented, crossing her arms in front of her.

"First thing in the morning and the dobe is screeching like a parrot" Sasuke thought, exasperated. "How can I do these useless tasks when there are other ninja out there to fight, like that Garra guy" stuffing his hands in his pockets Sasuke looked up sensing the arrival of Kakashi.

"Hey guys, good morning. Seems I once again took a wrong turn down the path of life" Kakashi greeted them.

"LIAR!" Naruto screamed.

"I know this seems a bit sudden, but I recommended you all for the Chunin exams. These are the application forms. It's all voluntary, up to each of you. If you don't feel ready you can wait until next year" Kakashi explained calmly, distributing the forms.

"All right! Kakashi-sensei you rock!" Naruto ran forward and hugged the silver haired man who tried to pry him off.

"Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application and come to room 301 at the academy at 3pm five days from now. That's it" Kakashi declared and promptly departed leaving Team 7 to head home.

"Chunin exams! Chunin exams! Chunin exams!" Naruto repeated excitedly as he clutched his application form.

"I'll be up against a lot of really wicked ninja, like the guy with the mummy on his back! And of course, Mr Attitude" A huge grin immediately formed on the blonde ninja's face as he imagined his victories at the Chunin exams leading to him becoming Hokage.

_I hope I get the chance to fight that guy, _Sasuke thought, picturing Gaara's face in his mind.

Glancing at both her teammates, Sakura stopped walking completely. These exams were a daunting task and she didn't feel as confident as the others.

_My training with Tsunade-sama has barely started and these exams are a major deal. Sasuke and Naruto are both as confident as ever but I'm not sure I'm ready. How far can these new skills really take me? I need to see Tsunade-sama, my training has to increase. I only have five days,_ Sakura thought and immediately departed for Konoha Hospital. 

* * *

><p>"Nurse I need those charts for patient in room 109 as soon as possible!"<p>

"Where or where have those visitor forms gone!"

"Can anyone find the…uh… well, anything!"

The lobby of the hospital looked like a scene from a television drama. Nurses and doctors were screaming at each other, desks and draws were being turned inside out and upside down in an attempt to find items. It was utter chaos.

_Wow this place is a total wreck, _Sakura thought as she approached the receptionist desk.

The nurse manning the station was frantically rifling through a filing cabinet pulling out random folders and throwing them on the floor.

"Um excuse me? I was wondering if you could tell me where Lady Tsunade is." Sakura asked nervously as the nurse whipped around like a startled horse.

"Tsunade? You've seen her? Where where?" The nurse yelled, practically leaping over the desk and grabbed the pink haired ninja.

"N-no. I just wanted to know where she was!" Sakura stuttered and the nurse let go of her in disappointment.

"Oh, I thought she might be back early. As you can see we're a complete mess without her. She may have been rude, and violent and bossy but at least she was organised!" dashing back behind the desk, the nurse returned to her folder throwing.

Sakura stared at the woman quizzically, what did she mean by back early?

"_I'm here in Konoha for the rest of the week on business before I leave for the Fire Country to act as their stand in head medic for a few months."_

"Oh, right. She's in Fire Country for the next few months" Sakura said dejectedly, she really wanted her sensei around. Especially since there was such limited time to prepare for the Chunin exams.

"Months! Oh heavens no! This hospital wouldn't be standing if she were gone for months! They decided on somebody else to take the head medic position. But Lady Tsunade has gone to fill in for two days while the new person gets settled in. Apparently she was steaming mad she didn't get the job! But we need her, so she'll be back in two days!" The nurse trilled.

Feeling a little better, Sakura left the hospital and began making her way home. Two days was valuable practice time that she could use to her advantage, Sakura began mentally listing things she could do to prepare that she rounded the corner and crashed straight into Sasuke Uchiha.

"Um hi Sasuke, sorry about that I didn't see you" Sakura said, dusting herself off. Sasuke didn't say anything but stretched his hand out and helped her up.

"That's okay. I was looking for you anyway. Do you want to take a walk, just the two of us?" Sasuke questioned, staring at her intensely.

"Sure, I guess that's okay" Sakura replied and the two fell into step beside each other. Unsure of what to say, the pink haired teen kept her eyes to the ground but a question bubbled to the surface.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"I need to tell you to give up on the Chunin exams, there's no way you can pass them Sakura" Sasuke said in his monotone voice.

"What? You've got to be kidding me!" Sakura yelled outraged.

"**Us! Pull out! No freaking way!" **Inner Sakura seethed.

"These ninja are very advanced and they have no mercy, if you try to fight them you could lose your life" the Uchiha prodigy reasoned.

"Oh, wait. This means you're telling me this because you care about me!" Sakura exclaimed happily.

"Uh yeah, I guess that's true" Sasuke replied, a small smile gracing his face.

"Oh look two sweethearts! How touching!" A voice called, Sakura turned around to see a man wearing a straw hat holding a kunai knife.

"Get lost, unless you want to die" Sasuke growled angrily.

"Talk is cheap!" the mystery ninja yelled and leapt into the air.

Reaching into his pocket, the man threw three ninja stars at Sasuke who had already drawn his kunai knife and deflected them easily. The Uchiha boy then charged straight for the straw hat man who threw what looked like an umbrella. Sasuke hurled his knife straight into the umbrella which exploded into hundreds of kunai and rained down upon the black haired boy.

"SASUKE!" Sakura screamed and ran towards her teammate who was now lying face down in the dirt, kunai knives embedded throughout his body.

"That's exactly what'll happen to you if you take the Chunin exams little girl!" The straw hat man said arrogantly.

"Hmph. Yeah right. This has been really cute. A nice trip down memory lane. I'm no idiot, I saw right through your cheap genjutsu from the first moment. I'm not the same person I was in the academy, obsessing over Sasuke as if that were all that mattered!" Sakura spoke confidently.

"WHAT? Are you calling me a fool!" the straw hat man yelled angrily

"Clearly you've been sent here to try and throw me off applying for the Chunin exams but you've failed. I would challenge you right here and now but you're not really here. You're just an illusion; the real ninja ran away like a coward. You're wasting my time" Sakura retorted smugly.

"ARE YOU SURE I'M NOT AN ILLUSION!" the man yelled and threw his umbrella towards the pink haired teen, who promptly walked straight through it.

"Does that answer your question?" Sakura asked and began to walk away; when she looked back again the man was gone. Heading into the main part of the village the pink haired teen observed all the new ninja streaming in.

"Right, I have five days to pull everything I've learnt so far together. Bring on the Chunin exams!" 


	14. Chunin Exams Part 2

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>The wait for Tsunade's return had made Sakura anxious to say the least and her own preparation for the Chunin exams was less than… satisfactory.<p>

Bluntly speaking, the training was inane.

Sakura went over the stamina exercises she had been given by Tsunade, practiced the very basic healing techniques she had been taught and worked on her martial arts skills.

But over the two days since the announcement of the exams, she had begun to question her abilities and if they were really enough to keep up with her own team. Not to mention beating the other genin competing.

Letting out a loud groan, Sakura felt her body give way beneath her and she fell to the ground in an awkward upright position breathing heavily.

"Ugh. I'm getting nowhere and I only have three days left!" the pink haired ninja exclaimed loudly, throwing her kunai knife on the ground.

She hadn't seen or heard anything of Sasuke or Naruto since the examination announcement. Suddenly it dawned on her.

"Two days… Practicing for two days… Someone was… TSUANDE-SAMA SHOULD BE BACK!" Sakura yelled loudly, dusting herself off she lept into the air and sped towards the hospital.

* * *

><p>Tsunade felt as though she was a collected person, generally. Sure some may say that her temper wasn't the sweetest, that her patience did not have the longest fuse and it was entirely plausible that she overreacted sometimes.<p>

But actions deserved explanations and Tsunade assumed that when she walked in the hospital doors and found one of the nurses attempting to inject a needle filled with pain medication into the jugular of a patient, the rightful action was to pick the nurse up and hurl her across the room with a violent roar which reduced the rest of the staff to cowering messes.

Breathing heavily Tsunade surveyed the damage; if it was even possible the hospital looked worse than when she left.

"WELL, DON'T JUST STAND THERE COWERING! CLEAN THIS PLACE UP!" the medical ninja bellowed at the staff who began stacking files and allocating patients to rooms as though their lives depended on it, which if Tsunade had her way it would.

"U-umm L-Lady T-Tsunade?" The head nurse called out in a high pitch squeaky voice.

"What? What do you want!?" Tsunade answered menacingly.

"W-what about C-Chou?" she asked pointing towards the nurse Tsunade had thrown across the room who sat up dizzily.

"Well let's see, oh wait I know you should take her to a hospital. You know one with staff who do their jobs correctly and doctors who actually understand medical procedures SO CLEARLY NOT THIS DAMN HOSPITAL!" Tsunade screeched loudly and stomped towards Chou.

"Walk it off sheesh I could have thrown you much harder and further if I wanted to" Chou stumbled to her feet unsteadily and quickly rushed straight passed Tsunade and out the hospital doors almost flattening Sakura in the process.

"Shishou! You're back!" Sakura called out to Tsunade between breaths.

Tsunade turned to look at her genin student and gave her a small wave. Sakura surveyed the damaged hospital and swallowed a little fearfully, surely Tsunade-sama couldn't have done all this… Right?

"Hello Sakura. I'm glad to see you returned from you mission safely" Tsunade said in an eerily calm voice.

"Thank you Shishou, I uh should have known you would be busy with the hospital. Perhaps I will come back tomorrow?" Sakura said quietly, motioning towards the door.

"Nonsense, I want to hear all about you mission and obviously you came down here for a reason. No doubt to speak to me about the Chunin exams that you've been given a choice to participate in" Tsunade replied, absently glaring at the nurses.

Sakura stared at her sensei, how was it that Tsunade-sama was always one step ahead? At least if she had heard about the Chunin exams then perhaps she had prepared new techniques and training exercises.

Taking her silence as affirmation Tsunade straightened up and addressed the staff.

"Attention staff. I am going out to train with Sakura here. If I get back and this place is not in perfect working order I will personally decapitate every single one of you" Tsunade called out in a sickly sweet voice and headed for the door.

"Shishou, who was that I saw running out of the hospital on my way in? She looked upset." Sakura asked.

"Oh just someone I had to let go for laying down on the job if you know what I mean. Now how about a drink before training?"

* * *

><p>Sakura couldn't feel anything; she had done so many push-ups she didn't know how her arms were still attached to her body. Her knuckles were dirty, bruised and bleeding; her legs ached and were covered in scratches. Almost completely chakra depleted, Sakura wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for a year.<p>

"Again Sakura, that move didn't have half the strength it should have" Tsunade called out loudly from the opposite end of the training ground.

"This is what I get for wishing Tsunade-sama back so quickly, I forgot how much these training sessions hurt" Sakura grumbled to herself and stood upright before charging at Tsunade only to get knocked down again.

"Better but your chakra levels are still quite low, the Land of Waves mission was just a taste of the fighting you'll have to do on your own eventually. You had a team to back you up but you need to hold out longer on your own. Give me another fifty push ups and we'll call it a day" Tsunade said as Sakura began to grind out the push-ups slowly.

She had told Tsunade everything that had happened during the Land of Waves mission, apart from her fight with Sasuke and her sensei was extremely pleased that she had been able to implement the training successfully.

"What it comes down to is basics, your stamina which increases your chakra levels and with greater chakra in your system you can utilise this in a fight. You won't tire as quickly and in terms of our training we can work for longer on your chakra control" Tsunade had said.

Sakura was a little let down, she had been hoping for some new techniques or jutsu but Tsunade had re-assured her that it would come in time. After all she had barely begun her training and her new sensei had no trouble in reminding her that they had a long way to go.

Finishing the last push-up Sakura fell to the ground exhausted, Tsunade patted her on the back before taking a swig out of the bottle of sake she had bought with her.

"You've made good progress so far Sakura, the extra training you're putting in helps. Over the next three days I'm expecting you to meet me here every afternoon for training and to also train yourself in the mornings" Tsunade said as Sakura pulled herself into a sitting position.

"Hai Shishou. Is there much you can tell me about the Chunin exams?" Sakura asked as she wiped sweat from her forehead.

"It is at the core, a survival exam. You have to approach it with the right attitude. It's not about showy techniques or a contest of who's the toughest. Sure strength helps but it's also about using your head and surviving" Tsunade said peering carefully at her student.

Sakura nodded, it wasn't much information but Tsunade had mentioned she was not at liberty to say a lot about the exams.

Still it was something, a survival exam using both brains and brawn. How would Team 7 do? Would they be together or separate? Was this what Tsunade-sama meant by fighting on your own? Would she be left to face the exam alone? Tsunade saw the confusion and fear on Sakura's face and gave her student a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Sakura; you'll be alright if you remember everything I've taught you and what you've learnt with Team 7. Kakashi wouldn't have put your names forward if he didn't believe you could do it. More to the point I believe you can do it and so should you" Tsunade said and grimaced as she peered into her now empty bottle of sake.

Sakura smiled a little, it would still be a daunting task but at least Tsunade-sama believed she could do it. Sakura pulled herself to her feet and Tsunade followed suit muttering to herself about the hospital.

"Well Sakura I have to go and attend to the lousy staff at the hospital. I will see you the same time here tomorrow" Tsunade said and began to make her way, a little off balanced mind you, to the village centre.

A sudden wave of emotion came over Sakura and she felt the urge to tell Tsunade about her missing father and beg for her help in finding him. It was plausible enough; Tsunade was a famous medical ninja and had the respect of the Hokage so perhaps more would be done for her father. Sakura didn't want to say it out loud but she felt as though the ANBU officers had just brushed the issue aside, as though it was nothing and her father was just another missing ninja.

But as quickly as the idea had surfaced, something unknown within Sakura repressed it and she held her tongue as she watched her sensei leave. Sakura then turned and left the training ground heading for her own house, not knowing exactly what made her not speak up and completely unaware of the plan her own subconscious had already begun forming.

For the next three days leading up to the Chunin exams Sakura ate, slept and breathed training. She did exactly as Tsunade requested, rising early every morning to train herself and then met with her sensei for an afternoon of training. So on the morning of Chunin exams Sakura couldn't believe the time had gone so quickly… she didn't know how she was going to keep her breakfast down.

At two in the afternoon, Sakura hugged her mother goodbye with the promise of returning safely and left the house for the academy. There had been no new word on her father but her mother remained optimistic and urged Sakura to do the same. It wasn't very effective.

Arriving outside the academy, Sakura could already see Naruto and Sasuke waiting for her.

"SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN! Over here!" Naruto yelled, waving his hands frantically. Waving back Sakura approached the two boys.

"Hi Sasuke, Naruto" Sakura spoke, Sasuke nodded towards her before motioning to the door of the academy.

"Seems they're letting people in. Let's go" he instructed shoving his hands into his pockets and walking towards the door. Naruto made a face behind his back and Sakura rolled her eyes.

Upon entering the academy, Team 7 went up three flights of stairs to the third floor where a huge crowd of people were gathered around the entrance. Pushing their way to the front, Sakura could see a boy with a bowl haircut dressed in green spandex attempting to get through, he was promptly hit back hard by two older looking ninja.

"Psh, you're taking the Chunin exams and you can't even get passed us?" One of them boys with spiky hair said.

"Why don't you just give up now before you get hurt, I think I hear you mummy calling you" The other spoke in a jeering voice.

"Please let us through we're supposed to go in there" A girl with her hair in two buns who was kneeling beside the boy in green spoke and walked forward towards the door marked 301.

Looking at the door and the rest of the floor Sakura knew what was going on immediately. This wasn't the third floor at all, it was an illusion. A pretty decent one since no one else seemed to notice. Sakura looked back up in time to see the girl get hit back hard and fall next to the boy in green.

The crowd began to mutter to themselves in displeasure at the action. One person spoke loudly about the harshness of it.

"Did you say harsh? Don't kid yourself we're being nice by comparison. Some of you won't survive the exams; others will be wrecked for life. Chunin are qualified to lead missions, the lives of your squad members are in your hands so you better be tough enough to take the heat" The spiky haired ninja blocking the door jeered.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke; they were wasting precious time and needed to be on the third floor. These guys were clearly hired to scare people off but they needed to get passed them and call them out on the illusion. As if he could read her mind, Sasuke stepped forward.

"Real nice speech, now step aside and let me through" The Uchiha prodigy spoke in a monotone voice.

"Yeah and while you're at it reverse the genjutsu, we can see through your illusion easily. We need the third floor" Sakura spoke in a loud clear voice turning all the attention to her.

"What does she mean the third floor? We're on the third floor?" The crowd chattered to themselves but Sasuke smirked, so she had noticed the illusion.

"Yeah this is only the second floor, believe it!" Naruto called out and the genjutsu was lifted turning the sign from 301 to 201.

"Well aren't we the smart ones, so you noticed an illusion. Now let's see you deal with this!" The spiky haired boy yelled and flipped into the air aiming a kick straight for Sakura.

Before she could even react, Sasuke had jumped in front of Sakura with a well-aimed kick headed straight for the offending ninja. Suddenly a blur of green rushed through the air and came to a stop between Sasuke and the spiky haired ninja. It was the green spandex boy from before who had separated both boys by holding one ankle each in his hands.

_How'd he do that? I thought he was some weakling getting knocked around like that but he's as fast as Sasuke, _Sakura thought as she stared at the boy in the green outfit. Upon closer look he had a bowl haircut and the bushiest eyebrows she'd ever seen.

The bushy eyebrows boy dropped both of their ankles and Sasuke straightened himself immediately.

_He stopped my kick, that's some chakra he's got in his arm_ the Uchiha boy thought as the girl with the two buns on her head and a boy with long hair tied up at the end approached them.

"Hey what happened to the plan? I thought you were the one who said to keep a low profile and not let anyone see our skill level?" The long haired boy chastised the green clad ninja.

"I know but..." The green boy trailed off and stared at Sakura with pink tinted cheeks. Sakura shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"Never mind, it's over, forget it" The girl with the buns shook her head in displeasure.

_What happened to those bruises he had before? They just disappeared, were they fakes?,_ Sasuke wondered as he watched the boy walk straight past him towards Sakura.

Immediately Sasuke felt his whole body tense and he felt the same feeling he felt when Sakura and Naruto were together during the Land of Waves mission. Clenching his fists to his sides Sasuke mentally reprimanded himself; it was stupid to feel this way over his teammate.

"My name is Rock Lee, you are Sakura right?" Rock Lee asked.

"Um right, that's me yes" Sakura replied a little taken aback.

_What's that word again? Jealous. Right. No Sasuke Uchiha is not jealous Uchiha's do not get jealous_

"Please be my girlfriend! I vow to protect you with my life!" Rock Lee said loudly with a huge grin and gave Sakura a thumbs up.

_Nope I'm not jealous at al- WHAT, WHAT DID HE JUST ASK!_

Sakura could feel her face heating up; this was the first time she had ever been asked out by someone. Rock Lee seemed nice enough, sure his hair cut was less than stylish and his eyebrows needed a trim but still nice enough. But she would have to turn him down; with everything that was going on she didn't really have time for dating

"**Not unless it's that fine piece of Uchiha meat who asks us. Then we'd make all the time in the world" **Inner Sakura said making her perverted appearance, apparently Inner Sakura was still making the transition from Sasuke fan-girl into independent female ninja.

Sasuke watched Sakura carefully and couldn't believe she was actually considering this bushy eyebrows weirdo. Anger and jealously bubbled within in him, could she not see that she was much too good for him and he was not even close to being good enough for her.

Before Sakura could even respond to turn Rock Lee down she felt a sharp tug on her wrist and realised she was being dragged off towards the third floor by Sasuke. Naruto watched the two with an amused grin.

"Hey let me go, I didn't even get a chance to answer Lee, it's called being polite" Sakura said hotly as she yanked her wrist free.

"The young lady is right! You didn't give her youthful heart a chance to respond to my proclamation of love!" Lee called out a few metres behind while his teammates looked disgusted and embarrassed.

"Fine you want an answer, she's not interested. So back off" Sasuke seethed and glared angrily at Rock Lee.

"Sasuke what the hell! You don't have the right to answer for me and you're being really rude as usual" Sakura spat angrily and glared at her teammate.

"What? You want to go out with him?" Sasuke asked incredulously staring at Sakura who felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

"No but I was going to let him down a little lighter than that" Sakura said quietly and Lee let out a groan of defeat.

"Sorry bushy brows, maybe another time huh?" Naruto laughed and turned to Sasuke.

"I don't think I've ever heard you say so much in one go teme" Giggling the blonde boy shot a sly wink at Sakura who promptly hit him. The tips of Sasuke's ears were a bright red.

"Hn, shut up dobe. Let's go, we're going to be late" The Uchiha boy replied in a monotone voice, the jealously within him quelled by the fact that Sakura would have turned bushy brows down.

"Hey you over there, what's your name?" A voice called out to Sasuke, it was the boy with the long ponytail.

Sakura watched as the grin fell from her blonde teammate's face and an angry fire appeared in his eyes. _"AGAIN! IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT SASUKE"_ Naruto thought angrily.

"It's common curtsy to give your own name before asking someone else's" Sasuke replied drily

"You're a rookie aren't you, how old are you anyway?" The ponytail boy asked further, ignoring Sasuke's comment.

"I'm not obliged to answer" Sasuke said with a smirk before shoving his hands into his pockets and turning back to Sakura, ignoring the ponytail boy's protests.

Both Naruto and Rock Lee had their heads pressed against the academy wall in defeat. "Why would she not accept my offer of love?" Lee cried out dramatically. "Why does no one ask for my name?" Naruto whined.

"Sasuke, Naruto let's go. We're going to be late" Sakura said, grabbing both boys attention. Team 7 departed for the stairs leading up to the third floor. The stairs then lead to a large room with an open outside section.

"All we need to do is cross through this room and up another flight of stairs and we should make it in time for the exam check in" Sakura said, hoping they weren't going to be too late.

Naruto nodded in response and Sasuke made an unknown noise of affirmation. Sakura was still unsure of what exactly had gone on with the Uchiha boy back on the second floor but she hoped the whole debacle hadn't ruined their chances of registering.

"Hey you there, with the attitude. Hold on!"


	15. Chunin Exams Part 3

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>"Hey you there, with the attitude. Hold on!" A loud voice called out.<p>

"Yah! You again bushy brows!" Naruto yelled back to Rock Lee who was standing a balcony above Team 7.

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, with all these interruptions how were they supposed to make it to the third floor in time for the start of the exams. Laying eyes on the bowl cut boy, Sasuke clenched his fists. What was with this guy? These exams were a freak show, and he was clearly the main attraction.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked in an annoyed voice, clearly the attitude comment had been directed at him. Glancing at his pink haired teammate, Sasuke was pleased to find Sakura wearing an agitated expression.

"I want to fight, right here and right now!" Rock Lee declared loudly.

"You want to fight me here and now?" Sasuke questioned in disbelief, was this guy stupid?

Yes! My name is Rock Lee, you said it was common curtsy for a challenger to give his own name first, right Sasuke Uchiha?" The bushy eye-browed boy said, jumping down from the balcony.

"So you know me huh?" Sasuke replied, intrigued.

"I challenge you! Everyone is always talking about the Uchiha clan and how great they are. I want to see if it is true, I figure you will be a good test for me and also…" Rock Lee trailed off and stared at Sakura.

"**Oh no, not again! This guy is a total creep!" **Inner Sakura yelled and Sakura thought it was about time she made an appearance.

"It is obvious to me that I cannot attempt to succeed with Sakura while you Sasuke Uchiha, a youthful suitor for her heart, shield her so protectively from me!" Rock Lee said in a gallant voice.

Sakura looked towards Sasuke who glared at Lee viciously but said nothing.

"Lee I'm not interested in you, you seem nice and all but I'm not looking to date anyone. This is no time for either of you to fight, Sasuke we're going to be late for the exam" Sakura said, trying to dispel the tension.

"Oh Sakura! I love you!" Lee declared blushing and completely ignoring Sakura's rejection.

"What!" Sasuke snapped loudly.

"You're being really creepy! KNOCK IT OFF DAMN IT!" Sakura yelled, her patience gone.

"You are an angel, sent from heaven!" Rock Lee announced and blew Sakura a kiss which she skilfully dodged.

"That was a good move, but let us see you dodge this" Lee persisted, blowing kisses rapidly in Sakura's direction. Convinced she could easily destroy them all, the pink haired teen reached for her kunai knife but Sasuke was in front of her in an instant.

With little effort, the Uchiha prodigy popped every single one of the kisses Lee had blown much to the confused relief of Sakura and the eternal amusement of Naruto.

"You destroyed my proclamation of love!" Lee cried

"Shut up. She said to knock it off and you didn't listen. Keep your creepy kisses to yourself, she's not interested. Now are we going to do this or what?" Sasuke said adopting a fighting stance.

"Bring it on" Lee said also falling into the same stance.

"HOLD IT!"

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned towards Naruto who had been the source of the outburst. The blonde haired ninja took a step forward determinedly. Sakura could only shake her head, great now Naruto was involved.

"At this rate we'll never make it to the exams in time" Sakura thought to herself as she watched Naruto and Lee square off.

"I get him first, this weirdo is mine!" Naruto said angrily.

"Go for it" Sasuke affirmed.

"No thank you, right now the only one I want to fight is Uchiha" Rock Lee spoke in a calm voice.

"YEAH WELL I'VE GOT NEWS FOR YOU! SASUKE CAN'T COMPARE TO ME! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto yelled and charged forward with his fist raised. Rock Lee simply stood still, bringing his hand in front of his face.

Raising his fist, Naruto aimed straight for Lee's chest, but before he could even throw the punch, Lee had moved forward a step and gave Naruto's punch a light tap with the tips of his fingers and knocked the blonde boy to the side.

Realising what had happened; Naruto quickly put his hands out and turned his impending fall into a well-aimed back kick towards Lee who side stepped it as quick as lightning.

"Leaf Whirlwind!" Rock Lee called out as he swept his leg under Naruto's attack, sending him spinning upside down into the concrete wall of the studio. Naruto collapsed against the wall, dazed and unable to move.

_This guy is better than he looks,_ Sakura thought as she and Sasuke stared at the green spandex boy.

"You see Sasuke, your skills are inferior and I will defeat you. Out of all the genin in the Leaf Village, I am the best" Rock Lee declared proudly, his palm in in front of his face again.

"Hmph. Yeah right. This will be fun" Sasuke said, disregarding the bravado.

Sakura snuck a quick glance at the clock on the wall; it was 2:35pm. That gave them less than half an hour to make it to the third floor and the exam room.

"Sasuke, this fight is pointless. We have less than half an hour to register. Let's just pick up Naruto and leave" Sakura reasoned but it fell on deaf ears.

"Relax. This will all be over in five seconds" Sasuke spoke loudly as he charged straight for Lee much to the annoyance of his pink haired teammate.

"Here he comes. Forgive me Gai sensei, for I may have to break the rules and use that jutsu" Lee thought to himself.

Sakura watched as Sasuke charged forward with a strong punch that would have surely struck its target, had Lee not disappeared into thin air. Suddenly Lee was above the Uchiha boy and twisted in mid-air before landing on the ground shouting "Leaf Hurricane" and performing a similar sweeping kick to that of his fight with Naruto.

_I'm not moving fast enough, I've got to block him!,_ Sasuke thought and quickly raised his arms to his face to block Lee's next move in mid-air.

Lee raised two fingers towards his lips and before Sasuke could even blink, Lee's powerful kick collided with Sasuke's cheek throwing him backwards.

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out in a mixture of surprise and shock as the Uchiha boy hit the ground. The pink haired ninja had seen it clearly, Sasuke had his guard up and Lee had in some way gotten straight through.

_The technique he's using, is it ninjutsu or genjutsu?,_ Sakura thought to herself as she watched her teammate stand shakily to his feet.

_As I expected, he is coming back for more,_ Lee mused as he resumed his fighting stance.

"I've been waiting to try this out" Sasuke spoke darkly and Sakura watched incredulously as her teammates eyes turned from onyx to a deep red.

_The Sharingan! When did he learn to – and it's in both of his eyes!,_ Sakura thought.

"Genjutsu or ninjutsu. Whatever technique this guy is using I'll see it now" Activating the sharingan and focusing in on Lee, Sasuke charged forward.

Hurtling towards Lee at great speed, Sakura couldn't help but feel admiration towards her teammate's abilities. With his Sharingan in play, Sasuke could surely read Lee's moves and beat him.

No sooner had she reached this conclusion, Sasuke was once again hit by Lee who acted with unimaginable speed. A quick upwards kick to the jaw saw Sasuke fly through mid-air, the Uchiha prodigy was able to land safely.

"My technique is not ninjutsu or genjutsu!" Lee yelled as he charged forward and immediately began throwing close up kicks and punches at Sasuke who tried his best to dodge them. Naruto had snapped out of his dazed unconsciousness to see his teammate take a crippling elbow to the stomach.

"You see, I am using taijutsu. That means no tricks Sasuke; it is just straight martial arts nothing more" Lee explained, appearing behind the Uchiha boy only to re-appear in front of him before Sasuke could even react.

"I know your technique. That Sharingan gives you the ability to read your opponents jutsu, reading his chakra and deciphering his hand movements, but it will not work on me. Taijutsu is different" Lee continued as Sasuke shot him an angry glare.

"So, what's your point?" The Uchiha boy demanded angrily.

"I do not try to hide or disguise my movements, I don't have to. Even if you can read them you still cannot stop them. You are too slow, your eyes may be quick enough but if your body cannot do the same what good is it?" The bushy eye browed boy lectured and Sakura could feel the anger radiating off Sasuke.

"I believe there are two kinds of ninja, those like you Uchiha who are born with talent and do not have to work for it and those like me who have to train for it every day of our lives!" Lee stated as Sasuke charged forward angrily and threw a punch which was skilfully dodged.

"Here is what I mean!" Lee shouted and threw another upward kick which connected with Sasuke's jaw and sent him into the air. Crouching on all fours, with a burst of chakra the green spandex boy also shot into the air and materialised underneath Sasuke.

"Dancing Leaf Shadow" Sasuke uttered reading the jutsu.

"Good eye, now I will prove my point" Lee declared as his hands twitched and the bandages around his arms began to unravel.

_I have to do something,_ Sakura thought as she reached for her ninja pouch. The jutsu Lee was about to perform was nothing like she had ever seen before and Sasuke was undeniably going to get severely injured which would be devastating for the team.

Watching the bandages carefully, Sakura had come up with a plan; she would aim her kunai knife at one of them trapping it against the wall. And then from there… She had no idea. But before she could even throw the knife, a shuriken in the shape of a pinwheel hurtled through the air and trapped one of Lee's bandages against the wall.

"ALRIGHT LEE, THAT'S ENOUGH!" A voice called out loudly and Sakura snapped her attention to…

A turtle? 

* * *

><p>Lee immediately swung around and dropped from mid-air to the ground to kneel in front of the turtle. Sakura quickly turned her attention to Sasuke who was free falling head first toward the floor. Quickly the pink haired teen jumped into mid-air and caught the Uchiha boy, landing gracefully on the ground.<p>

Sakura attempted to bring Sasuke into a sitting position and began to carefully heal the bruises and cuts he had sustained. The Uchiha boy was able to offer her a nod of thanks but remained completely silent.

_He's really shaken up, he didn't even take the fall properly, _Sakura thought as she continued to heal Sasuke who stared straight ahead focusing on Lee.

"That guy totally beat Sasuke, what the hell happened while I was knocked out?" Naruto mumbled as he watched Sakura healing the Uchiha boy.

"Y-you, you were watching us the whole time?" Lee asked the turtle.

"Of course! That last technique was forbidden and you know it!" The turtle replied

_He's talking to a turtle, and the turtle is talking back…. Now he's apologising to the turtle…. Wait a minute! Could that be his sensei!?_ Naruto thought completely perplexed as he watched Lee make hasty apologies for the use of the jutsu.

"I'm right! It really is his sensei!" Naruto determined and ran over to Sasuke and Sakura who were now both staring just as perplex at Lee as their blond teammate had been.

"HEY YOU GUYS!" Naruto yelled as he rushed over.

"What is it Naruto?" Sakura asked in an annoyed tone.

"That thing he's talking to is a turtle, right?" The blonde boy questioned stupidly.

"Of course! What do you think it is!?" Sakura snapped loudly, attempting to help Sasuke to his feet.

"MAYBE THAT MEANS TURTLES CAN BE SENSEI TOO!" Naruto bellowed at ear splitting volume right in Sakura's ear.

"WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME? HOW WOULD I KNOW IF THEY CAN BE SENSEI TOO" Sakura yelled back just as loudly.

"You're a disgrace; you think you'll get away with a bunch of lame excuses like that? A shinobi never reveals his techniques unless it's absolutely necessary, it's such a basic rule you should know it by now" The turtle berated Lee.

Sasuke glared at Lee, how could he have lost to such a freak like that? Sakura could only stare at the scene in front of her, these exams were too weird.

"Are you ready to take the punishment for your actions?" The turtle asked.

"I uh yes Sir" Lee replied, downcast.

"Alright then, please come out, Gai-sensei!" The turtle yelled and in a puff of white smoke a man stood on top of the turtle, looking like an exact copy of Rock Lee but older.

"Hey what's shakin everybody? Life treatin ya good?" Gai asked in a loud booming voice and struck a weird pose. Team 7 wore matching expressions of horrified embarrassment and shock.

"So that's where Lee gets it from, same soup bowl haircut and even bushier eyebrows" Naruto commented thoughtlessly.

"HEY DO NOT INSULT GUY SENSEI HE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST MEN IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!" Lee whipped around to yell at Naruto.

"WELL EXCUSE ME FOR NOT NOTICING HIS GREATNESS I WAS TOO BUSY WATCHING HIM CRAWL OUT FROM UNDERNEATH A TURTLE!" Naruto screamed back with equal volume.

"HE DID NOT CRAWL OUT!" Lee yelled louder.

"Give it a rest Lee… and now for your punishment. YOU LITTLE FOOL!" Gai shouted and delivered an impressive punch to Lee's face knocking him to the floor.

Gai walked over to Lee and bent down on one knee to comfort him. "Oh sensei!" Lee shouted and ran to hug as both sensei and student began to cry sharing a tender moment like two lovers.

Naruto wore an expression of shock and Sakura looked disgustedly horrified. "How could I lose to someone that lame?" Sasuke asked himself, disturbed by the exchanged.

"Now take off! I want you to give me a hundred laps around the practice field! Show me what ya got! Run into the setting sun, run and suffer! But don't mess up your hair! Let us go!" Gai declared.

"Hey you guys just can't leave. What about the Chunin exams?" Naruto asked

Oh uh right. Forgot about that. Lee you have not only broken the rules of fighting but you have also interrupted the Chunin exams. I think that warrants a more serve punishment right? How does 500 laps sound!" Gai declared striking yet another strange pose.

"Outstanding sir!" Lee replied.

Team 7 stood staring at the latest display of insanity; Gai immediately focused his attention on them. _So this must be Kakashi's squad, I'll check em out,_ he thought.

Naruto and Sakura shifted uncomfortably under Gai's gaze but Sasuke wore an indifferent expression.

"Say how is Kakashi-sensei?" Gai asked.

"Do you know him?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"Do I know Kakashi? Well people say he and I are rivals for all eternity" Gai declared proudly.

"THERE'S JUST NO WAY!" Naruto yelled.

"How dare you! If Gai sensei says it is true..." Lee began to chastise Naruto but was stopped by his sensei.

"Leave it Lee, a ninja's actions always speak louder than his words" Gai said and suddenly vanished only to reappear behind Team 7 making them all jump.

"My record is fifty wins and forty nine losses, which is one better than his by the way" Gai spoke proudly.

"What?" Sasuke asked disbelieving, although now he didn't feel as bad for having lost to Lee.

"You're kidding, how'd he beat Kakashi?" Naruto asked to no one in particular. Sakura was also surprised as this information but was more fed up with Lee and his sensei creepily sneaking up behind people than anything else.

"The fact is I'm stronger than Kakashi and faster" Gai said, giving a hundred megawatt smile to the confused genin.

Sasuke stared at Gai in disbelief, did he really beat Kakashi? Clenching his fists in anger the Uchiha prodigy glared at the floor.

"Lee, you should accompany these fine young ninja to the classroom to register" Gai said jovially throwing a kunai at the wall to release Lee's bandage. Sakura turned around to see Rock Lee retying the bandages around his hand, which appeared to be covered in scrapes and bruises.

Gai disappeared in a puff of smoke and Lee soon followed but not after informing Sasuke that he had not been the one who was Lee's main target (that was reserved for his own teammate) and promised Sasuke the next time they fought that he would be defeated.

"Eh, how about that. Looks like the Uchiha's aren't as great as everybody thinks they are" Naruto said in a casual tone, hands behind his head.

"Drop it Naruto, we're going to be late for the exam registration so let's go" Sakura said in a vain attempt to keep the peace.

"Just shut up, next time I'll drive him to his knees" Sasuke spat, clenching his fists.

"Yeah right, look who just got his butt kicked. You saw his hands didn't you? When he took of the bandages, I bet old bushy brow has been training until he drops. Day in and day out, he trains harder than you. That's all I'm saying." Naruto spoke and Sakura couldn't help but feel this was somewhat of a self-reflection as well. Sasuke seethed but beneath that he was ashamed.

"Hmph. Can't you see Naruto; this thing is finally starting to get interesting. We're finally up against worthy opponents. Chunin exams are going to test us but we're ready!" Sakura said in a strong voice, diffusing the tension instantly.

"Yeah!" Naruto yelled in agreement.

"Let's get started" Sasuke affirmed, his smirk returning.

Finally they had made it, looking up above the door the sign read 301. Team 7 stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Kakashi who had surprisingly turned up to greet them.

"I'm glad you all made, especially you Sakura. For your sake and the others" Kakashi spoke calmly. Sasuke and Naruto shot quizzical looks at their teammate.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, equally as confused.

"You see, only groups of three are allowed to apply for and take the Chunin exams, it's the way it's always been" Kakashi answered looking directly at Sakura.

"The decision to apply was up to the individual, right?" Sakura questioned Kakashi and immediately she knew.

He didn't think she would show up. He must have figured out somehow that she had doubts and he thought she wouldn't show. Sakura's eyes narrowed, he was essentially inferring his thoughts that she was still some weakling that would be scared off into not applying.

Sakura immediately recalled the illusion with Sasuke and that ninja was that Kakashi trying to confirm his theory. That she wasn't good enough for the exams. Sasuke felt Sakura tense up next to him and shot the silver haired man a confused look, what exactly was he getting at?

"It is an individual decision, but it affects all of you. I didn't tell you before because I didn't want the other guys pressuring you. At the same time I didn't want you feeling obliged to participate because of any feelings you might have for Sasuke or Naruto." Kakashi finished.

Sakura had heard all she needed to hear, Kakashi obviously still felt that she was easily influenced and really she would have been the one to not show up. _Why me then? Why not Sasuke or Naruto?,_ she thought.

Surely she couldn't have been the only one nervous and doubting her abilities for the exam. But once again she'd been singled out as the weak link.

"But that is all irrelevant now, you've all come and for the right reasons" Kakashi said and Sakura sighed,_ irrelevant huh?_

"I'm proud of you all, couldn't have asked for a better team" Kakashi smiled through his mask at his students. Sakura quickly re-arranged her facial features to mask the disappointment she was feeling.

Stepping away from the door leading into the exam room, Kakashi watched as both Sasuke and Sakura headed for the handles with Naruto in the middle.

"We won't let you down Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto called out as all of Team 7 entered the room. Closing the doors behind them, all three genin stood together.

"W-what's this?" Naruto asked as he stared disbelieving.

"Hmph" Sasuke muttered.

"I guess we're not alone" Sakura replied.


	16. Chunin Exams Part 4

The Turning Point

Team 7 stood in shock facing a large room filled to the brim with ninja from all different villages across the Five Great Shinobi Countries. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the group of ninja, most look many years older than himself and his teammates. Sakura and Naruto did little to hide their shocked and somewhat fearful expressions.

"I had no idea there'd be so much competition" Sakura thought to herself as her eyes drifted from one menacing looking face to the next. The silent reverie of the teens was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps.

"SASUKE WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" A voice called out.

Sakura turned to see Ino Yamanaka engulf Sasuke in a back hug; her cheeks stained a pretty pink. Sasuke immediately stiffened and turned his head to glare at the loud blonde girl who had her arms wrapped around his neck lovingly. The Yamanaka fan-girl of course, the only one equalled to Sakura in loudness and annoyingness.

But Sasuke no longer considered Sakura loud or annoying; in fact he didn't exactly know where he stood with his female teammate. However he did know that too much time spent around the pink haired girl caused him troublesome thoughts and feelings.

Glancing at his teammate Sasuke once again encountered these troublesome thoughts as he observed that Sakura looked none too happy with the Yamanaka girl on his back. The same emotion Sasuke felt when Sakura rejected the bushy brow kid flared up again, approving of Sakura's facial expression and Sasuke allowed a small smirk to grace his features.

She was clearly put out by the Yamanaka girl's attentions towards him, could it be she was jealous? Sasuke's smirk grew wider at the thought of this but it was soon diminished as Ino spoke yet again

"Boy you have no how much I was hoping you'd show up here! I've missed those brooding good looks of yours" Ino exclaimed as she clung to Sasuke tighter.

Sakura watched the interaction, deadpanned and attempting to control the jealous fury rising within her. She clenched her fists in an attempt to control her emotions. She wasn't supposed to be feeling this way anymore, Sasuke was just her teammate… right?

Upon hearing the comment made about Sasuke's 'brooding good looks' Sakura let out a slight hissing sound which quickly drew Ino's attention.

"Well well Miss Forehead. See you've had a makeover, another useless attempt to win Sasuke's heart no doubt. You've still got those frown lines on your billboard brow I see" Ino jeered and Sakura glared.

"Shut up Ino and get off my teammate" Sakura said in an annoyed voice. Ino simply stuck her tongue out at her rival.

Sasuke shook Ino off his back (much to her disappointment), still wearing the same self-satisfied smirk. He was met with an annoyed questioning glance from Sakura to which he shrugged his shoulders and re-adopted his emotionless expression.

"Oh it's you guys, I knew this thing was going to be a drag but I didn't know it'd be this lame" Shikamaru said, approaching the group along with Choji who was stuffing handfuls of potato chips in his mouth.

"So all three stooges are here" Naruto teased and Shikamaru looked up angrily.

"You know what pipsqueak! Ah forget it, you're a waste of time" Shikamaru replied, the lazy side of him kicking in.

_"Hmph that Shikamaru Nara is one of the whiniest and laziest guys in the academy and Choji Akimichi though it's more like Akimunchy, I think he'd eat his own head if he could!_" Naruto thought.

"Well, well what do you know? Looks like the whole gang's back together again" Kiba called out, walking across the room with his teammates Hinata Hyuga and Shino in tow. His dog Akamaru resting on his head.

_Seriously? More of them? All 9 rookie squads must have been nominated for the Chunin exams then,_ Sakura thought.

"H-hi N-Naruto" Hinata stuttered out shyly and Naruto simply stared at the Huyga girl who turned a bright red. Sasuke watched and shook his head; his blonde teammate truly was a clueless idiot.

"Looks like everyone his here for this stupid thing" Shikamaru spoke; voicing his annoyance which Sasuke silently agreed with.

"Yep! Here we all are the 9 Rookies! This is going to be fun, at least for those of us good enough to make the cut. Right Sasuke?" Kiba declared loudly and smirked at the Uchiha boy.

"Hmph, Kiba. Careful you don't get overconfident now" Sasuke replied arrogantly.

"Just you wait; we're going to blow you guys out of the water. We've been training like crazy" Kiba declared and Naruto's ears pricked up.

"What do you think we've been doing? Sitting around picking daisies? You don't know what training means!" Naruto all but screamed back.

"U-uh d-don't mind Kiba. I-I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it" Hinata spoke in a soft voice, fidgeting and promptly turned a bright red which drew Kiba's attention.

_Mmmm, Akamaru's looking plumper… juicier_ Choji thought hungrily and withdrew his hand from the chip packet before taking a step forward towards Kiba and his clearly edible dog. He didn't get very far before Shino stepped in front of him.

"What do you want?" Choji asked gruffly but Shino remained silent and shifted his gaze to the ground where a bug crawled past Choji's foot.

"Thought maybe you hadn't seen it. Didn't want you stepping on it" Shino said, his voice low with an eeriness to it.

"Why, you saving it for lunch?" Choji asked but was met with no response.

"Hey, you all might want to keep it down a bit" Sakura spoke up as the rookie's turned their attention to her.

"And why would we want to do that forehead?" Ino asked, annoyed by Sakura's new attitude.

Wordlessly Sakura gestured towards the rest of the room, every ninja had their head turned towards the Rookie 9, eyes fixed on the group listening closely.

"I was about to come over here and say the same thing, but looks like she beat me to it" A voice called out from the right hand side of the room.

The owner of the voice approached the genin squads, his silver hair tied back in a ponytail and horn-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Sakura observed he was quite a few years older than them.

"You're the 9 rookies, fresh out of the academy right? I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves, like your friend said you need to cool it. This isn't a class fieldtrip" The unknown man spoke.

"Well who asked you? Who are you?" Ino asked in an annoyed voice.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi, but like the pink haired one said, look around you. You've made quite an impression" Kabuto replied smugly and the genin gazed over the room in shock.

Sakura's eye made contact with a group of male ninja who had four straight lines on their forehead protectors and dark cloaks covering their bodies.

"See those guys; they're from the Rain Village. Very touchy. They all are. This exam makes everyone tense and you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now" Kabuto spoke and all genin silently agreed.

"But it's not your fault, how could you know? You're just rookies. You remind me of myself a few years back" The silver haired man mused.

"So this isn't the first time you've taken these exams?" Sakura asked.

"No it's my seventh, well they're held twice a year so this will be my fourth year" Kabuto explained.

"So I guess all those rumours about the exam being tough are true. Oh man, I knew this was going to be a drag" Shikamaru said dejectedly.

"Hey don't give up hope yet. Maybe I can help you kids out a little, with my ninja info cards" Kabuto said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a stack of cards with markings on the back.

"What are those?" Sasuke asked and the rest of the rookies gathered around as Kabuto put the cards on the ground.

"These cards are chakra encoded with everything I've learnt over the past four years. So I haven't really been wasting my time. They don't look like much to the naked eye; in fact they're completely blank" Kabuto spoke, picking a card up from the stack and turning it over.

"Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff" He continued and placed one finger on the card and began to spin it around.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked.

"You see I'm using my chakra to reveal their secrets. Like this for example" Kabuto explained and put his fingers to his lips, concentrating his chakra. A small puff of smoke and suddenly the once blank card now revealed a map.

"This map shows the geographical history of all the candidates who have come to take the Chunin exams. The villages they come from, and how many from each village. Why do you guys think they all come here to take the exam together at the same time?" Kabuto asked.

The genin remained blank faced apart from Choji who had resumed shovelling handfuls of chips into his mouth.

"Wouldn't it be to foster friendship between nations? Well outwardly anyway. The only other possible reason behind it would be to regulate the amount of Shinobi each village has, thus maintaining the balance of power between the nations?" Sakura responded surprising everyone and impressing Kabuto.

"Very good, you've got a brain about you" Kabuto said and Ino's eyes narrowed at Sakura.

_Stupid smarty pants forehead. What exactly happened to her since we left the academy?_ Ino thought angrily.

"If the balance of power isn't maintained, one village could end up with more Shinobi than another and it might be tempted to attack its neighbours. So they try and maintain the status quo" Kabuto finished and looked around at the genin who seemed to comprehend the importance.

"Do those cards of yours have any information on the other candidates? Individually?" Sasuke asked, stepping forward.

"They might… do you have someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked confidently.

"I might" Sasuke replied in a cold voice.

"I've got something on just about everyone, including you guys of course. Tell me any information you can about the candidates and I'll give you what I've got" Kabuto replied, picking up the stack of cards.

"There's Gaara of the Sand, and Rock Lee of the Leaf Village while you're at it" The Uchiha prodigy spoke, eyes narrowing.

Swiping over the deck quickly, Kabuto picked up two cards in his hand and turned the first one over. Sakura peered over Sasuke's shoulder to see better, the card had a picture of Rock Lee as well as his teammates Team 7 had seen before.

"First up is Rock Lee, he's about a year older than you guys with 11 C Ranks and 20 D Ranks of mission experience. His squad leader is Gai, in the last 12 months his taijutsu has radically improved but his other skills are a little shaky. This will be his first time as a candidate for the exams as for some reason last year he chose not to participate. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuga" Kabuto read from the card.

Hinata looked up cautiously at the mention of Neji's name but nobody seemed to pay any attention to it apart from Naruto, but his attention was quickly drawn back to the cards as Kabuto placed a new blank info card over Rock Lee's and performing the same technique.

"Now for Gaara. Mission experience is 8 C Ranks and how about this, one B Rank as a genin! There's not a lot more information on this guy. He was a rookie from another land originally but there is this. He survived every mission without getting a scratch on him" Kabuto said, mildly surprised.

Placing another blank card down, the silver haired man activated the map once again.

"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall and Sound. From the looks of it they've all sent exceptionally good candidates to the exams this time around. Of course the Hidden Sound Village is small, it sprang up recently so no one knows anything about it – those guys are a mystery" Kabuto said placing his cards back together.

"In the four years I've been coming here I've never seen a crop of candidates with this much potential" The silver haired man finished, leaving the rookie 9's confidence quite small.

_Well that's a fine and optimistic way to finish things. Naruto's even shaking and nothing normally gets to him, _Sakura thought as she watched her blonde haired teammate silently.

Making a move to try and reassure him, the pink haired teen took a step forward but Naruto turned around quickly letting out a loud growl and pointing his finger straight at the room full of candidates.

"MY NAME IS NARUTO UZUMAKI AND I'M GOING TO BEAT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto yelled loudly as Sakura stared in disbelief. Sasuke and Kabuto both smirked at the outburst.

"You heard what he said about the Hidden Sound Village?" A man asked quietly within the crowd.

"I heard" Another with bandages across his face replied.

"I say we teach this guy some manners" The female on the squad decided.

"You moron, are you trying to get everybody in the place to hate our guts or what?" Shikamaru asked Naruto who was feeling extremely proud after his outburst.

Kabuto's eyes suddenly narrowed and the three Sound ninja moved quickly within the crowd undetected. Kankuro who felt their presence began to remove the mummy from his back but was silenced with a hand from Garra.

The Sound Village ninja with spiky black hair lept into the air and pulled out two kunai knives and threw them straight for Kabuto who dodged them skilfully. Before anyone could blink, the other man with the bandages covering his face was in front of Kabuto in an instant preparing to throw a punch which Kabuto dodged instantly.

_He's almost as quick as me,_ Sasuke thought as he and the rest of rookies watched the fight in shock.

Kabuto however stood unharmed and a small smile crossed his face until his glasses cracked and the glass promptly fell from his frames onto the floor. The whole room remained silent, watching Kabuto's reaction.

Calmly the silver haired man removed his frames. "Oh I get it, it was that kind of attack" he spoke in an oddly calm voice.

"Hang on! I saw it all, he dodged the attack. How did that happen?" Sasuke asked angrily.

"It must have come closer than it looked; psh look at him acting like it was nothing. Real tough guy" Shikamaru scoffed.

Kabuto gasped suddenly and his vision went blurry, dropping to his knees he began to shake before throwing up a little. Sakura and Naruto rushed over to help him to his feet.

"Write this on your little card punk. The genin from the Sound Village will be Chunin when this is over. Guaranteed." The spiky haired Sound ninja taunted.

_There was more to that attack than just speed, it had to be some kind of trick, _Sakura thought as she watched the Sound ninja carefully.

Suddenly a huge puff of smoke covered the front of the room, drawing everyone's attention.

"ALRIGHT YOU BABY-FACED DEGENERATES. PIPE DOWN AND LISTEN UP!" A voice called out loudly. The smoke cleared to reveal a team of people in dark ninja clothing with a tall man standing in the centre of the group with two long scars across his face. He was the one who had spoken.

"It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino your proctor and from this moment your worst enemy"


	17. Chunin Exams Part 5

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>Shock-filled expressions were worn by every ninja in the room as they gaped at Ibiki Moreno who stood defiantly in front of them, flanked by the group of exam proctors. The man in question raised his index finger and pointed it directly at the Sound Ninja who had attacked Kabuto mere moments before.<p>

"Knock that off, you are not permitted to fight in this exam room! Are you looking to fail before we've even started?" Ibiki yelled loudly.

"Sorry, this is our first time at the exams. Guess you could say we're a little jumpy." The bandaged Sound Ninja simpered and not sounding the least bit apologetic in Sakura's opinion.

Ibiki seemed to be thinking along the same lines and simply nodded in affirmation before addressing the room of potential Chunin.

"Listen good, you're not permitted to fight each other in combat without the permission of your proctor but even using fatal force is prohibited. Any rule breaking equals immediate disqualification" The scar faced man announced to the room of blank faces.

_No fatal force? As if any of these lunatics are going to listen to that. Those Sound Ninja didn't think twice before coming after Kabuto – who knows what the rest of these ninja are capable of, _Sakura thought as Ibiki moved to speak again.

"Now that we have that settled, it's time to move on to the first stage of the exams. Hand in your paper work and you'll be given a number which will be the number of your seat. The written component of the exam will begin when everyone has been seated" Ibiki instructed.

"W-what? Did he say w-written? NO, NOT A WRITTEN TEST NO WAY!" Naruto called out in fear as he gazed upon the large stack of paper one of the proctors was holding.

One by one each ninja in the room handed over their papers and were given an allocated seat number. Sakura soon lost sight of Sasuke and Naruto as they were moved to different spots in the room. Sitting at her desk with the test paper facing down, Sakura willed herself to breathe and remain calm. Tsunade-sama hadn't mentioned anything about a written component. It was all supposed to be survival wasn't it?

"How exactly am I supposed to pass a test I haven't even studied for?" Sakura anxiously thought as she gazed across the rest of the room and her eyes finally located a familiar crop of blonde hair.

_Ugh I don't even know where the others are sitting! I'm all alone; this exam is a disaster already!_ Naruto thought and clutched his hair in anguish.

"H-hello Naruto" A voice piped up from his right side. The blonde boy turned to see the Hyuga girl sitting next to him.

"Hey Hinata, where did you come from? I didn't even see you" Naruto spoke happily, his mood instantly better with a familiar face beside him. Hinata blushed softly and turned to face the front of the room where Ibiki stood with a piece of chalk held up against the blackboard.

"Okay pay attention and eyes forward. You need to listen to the rules I'm about to tell you and I won't be taking any questions so you'll hear it once and once only" Ibiki spoke loudly.

_What's the deal with this guy? Who doesn't allow questions about an exam before the exam starts? Every exam I took in the academy I could ask questions_ Sakura stressed but tried to keep her thoughts together as she listened to the rules.

"Rule 1: This part of the exam is done by a point reduction system. Everyone begins the test with ten points – one point deducted for every answer that's wrong. So for example if you miss or fail 3 questions then your final score will be 7" Ibiki explained.

_That's annoying, so if anyone misses 10 questions their score will be zero, _Sasuke thought to himself and his gaze wandered to Naruto. From their days in the academy, Sasuke knew that Naruto's forte was not written tests at all.

"Rule 2: You will all pass or fail depending on the total scores of all three members of your squad" Ibiki stated and immediately the room was filled with disbelieving whispers.

Sakura also looked around horrified, combining the scores? Sasuke she knew could probably pull it off but based on what she had seen at the academy, how on earth was Naruto going to pass?

"SCILENCE! Stop that whispering, I have my reasons for making the test this way" Ibiki said effectively halting the whispering and continued.

"Rule 3: The men positioned around the room are there to watch you for any indication that you might be cheating. Each time you're caught – two points will be taken from your score. If you want to be good Shinobi then show us how good you can be" Ibiki finished.

Sakura pressed her hands together tightly in front of her mouth. It was suddenly clear to her; they were expected to cheat but not get caught doing so. This was a stealth as well as brains test. It tested the ability to calculate and think quickly as well as the ability to act undetected, both of which were essential attributes for any ninja.

_How exactly am I going to cheat and not get caught doing it? I don't have any special bloodline traits or a jutsu I know that could help me out. Relax Sakura relax, just sit it like you would any other test. Try and do it just yourself without any cheating and then if you get stuck… Well we'll get to that bit later _Sakura thought as she fidgeted nervously, wanting to get started as soon as possible.

"One more thing before we begin. If anyone should get a zero on the exam that person and their squad will automatically fail" Ibiki said as Sakura and Sasuke automatically stiffened in shock and Naruto began to feel very very sick.

"As for the final question, you won't get it until 15 minutes before the exam ends. So you have one hour in total to complete this exam" Finally finishing his speech Ibiki turned to the clock at the front of the room. The minute hand seemed to tick by slowly to Sakura, but it finally reached 12 and the time stood exactly at 4:30pm.

"BEGIN!"

* * *

><p>Papers flew open and Sakura hunched over her desk, determined to do as well as she could and not have to resort to cheating. Although she only suspected that this was the true purpose of the exam she had wondered to herself how many other people may have figured this out as well. Naruto was probably too stressed about the exam itself to have a hunch as to what the real exercise behind it was, and even if he did figure it out how exactly was he going to cheat? Sasuke had the Sharingan but what did she and Naruto have?<p>

Sasuke watched Naruto from the corner of his eye so as not to get suspected for cheating. He saw as Naruto stared blankly at the exam in front of him, not even moving to pick it up. Naruto finally decided to pick up his paper and examined the first question.

_What was I worried about, it's just a test. I'll just relax and do the ones I can answer the best. Okay the first one I've got to figure out some sort of code. Uh um… okay forget that one, which one can I do next?_ Naruto thought as he stared at the paper completely perplexed.

_Line B on the paper demonstrates the trajectory of a shuriken thrown at enemy C by ninja A sitting on top of a tree 7 metres tall. Describe and formulate the trajectory required if C were positioned at points D, E, and F. Also the possible range of the shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer?"_ Sasuke read the question to himself.

He felt less and less confident. He couldn't locate Sakura within the room but he seriously doubted even she could pull off these questions.

_These are integrated problems requiring complex mechanic energy analysis which is really advanced stuff. There's no way Naruto can solve this, hell I don't know if I can solve it. But at least I understand the underlying principles so that's a start_ Sakura thought as she swallowed hard and glanced around the room.

_There can't be more than a handful of people here who could do this. So the exam questions are basically backing you into a corner and forcing you to cheat if you don't want to lose any points but not get caught by the supervisors otherwise you'll lose points for that as well,_ Sakura sighed and picked up her pencil to begin.

The pink haired teen only hoped that if her teammates chose to cheat that they wouldn't get caught, she feared for Naruto more than Sasuke on that front.

Both the male members of Team 7 were having equal trouble, although Sasuke was much more composed about it. It was interesting to him (in a humourless sort of way) that he couldn't even begin to understand any of the problems. The numbers and facts swirled around Naruto's head, taunting him and his inability to understand them. Each problem was more complicated than the last.

_Don't panic, don't panic. There's only one thing for it! I'll just have to cheat and not get caught!_ Naruto decided in his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead. But one sharp look from Ibiki completely destroyed the thought as soon as it had come up.

_It's strange; they seem to care more about the cheating aspect of the exam than the exam itself. These guys watching us and writing down every person they see cheating… and why only a two point deduction? Surely the first time you get caught cheating it would mean immediate disqualification?_ Sasuke thought as he watched the sentinels observing the class room. And then it hit him.

_So that's it! This written exam is just a front – it's a test to gather information. It explains it all, a ninja must see through deception. How many others have figured this out? Sakura? Naruto? They need to use their heads if we're going to get through this,_ deciding on what he had to do, Sasuke picked up his pencil and prepared himself. The next part of the task was figuring out who to steal to answers from.

Many of the other ninja had already figured out that the concept of the exam was to cheat without getting caught. Holding his arm a little forward on the desk, Gaara allowed small grains of sand to curl around his wrist. Taking this as a sign, Kankuro who was seated a few seats away activated The Crow. Subtly sniffing the air, Akumaru relayed the correct answers to Kiba in a series of inaudible barks. The bandaged Sound Ninja listened carefully to the scratching of the pencil from the ninja behind him.

_Judging from the rhythm and the frequency of the strokes… I see. So that's it,_ he thought quickly picking up his pencil and jotting down the answers.

Another ninja busy scribbling down his answers casually brushed a fly off of his desk without giving it a second thought. The fly flew through the air and landed on Shino's finger.

"Well, show me" He whispered in a low voice and the fly immediately moved to buzz around his exam paper. "Eight, of course" Shino muttered as he hunched over his paper to write the correct answers in.

Tenten and Lee worked as a co-operative unit, with Tenten using well hidden strings on her fingers to adjust the mirrors surrounding the lights on the ceiling to reflect Shino's correct answers for herself and Lee who adjusted his headband every time he could see the answers clearly.

Meanwhile Naruto was in full meltdown mode and his indecision to cheat or not was driving him insane, coupled with the incessant ticking of the clock reminding him that time was running out. Hinata observed the blonde boy and with a blush staining her cheeks, made her decision.

"N-naruto, you can look at my test if you want" Hinata spoke softly. Naruto eyed Hinata suspiciously debating as to whether it was a trick or not from Kiba and Shino to make him mess up. He immediately asked why she would want to share her answers with him.

"Uh um w-well you see… I don't want you to leave. We should all be together as the 9 rookies right?" Hinata explained shyly and Naruto grinned at her.

"Right of course, sorry Hinata I thought you were trying to pull a fast one on me" The blonde boy said as Hinata subtly slid her test paper towards him, but before Naruto could even look at it a kunai knife whizzed straight past his ear and pierced the test paper of the ninja behind him.

"W-what the hell was that for!?" The ninja asked in fear, standing up.

"5 strikes and you're out. You just failed the test. You and your teammates need to leave immediately" The sentinel said.

It was as though that had opened the flood gates, proctors then began calling out the seat numbers of people who had failed and ordered them and their teammates to leave the room. Naruto watched in horror as people kicked and screamed and demanded that the proctors were wrong but they left nonetheless. Hinata again quietly pushed her paper towards the blonde boy, but he had locked eyes with a proctor sitting at the end of the row of desks. Naruto swallowed hard and shook his head.

"Thank you, Hinata but I can't. Hey don't look so down about it, I'm an ace ninja! I don't need to cheat to pass this" Naruto declared happily to Hinata but turned the other way in misery. "When did I become so noble" he thought to himself.

"Sharingan!" Sasuke whispered a few seats away; with his clan's bloodline trait activated he immediately began to copy the movements of the pencil of the ninja seated in front of him.

Sakura too was furious scribbling down her answers to each of the questions. Although they were tricky to begin with she had been making great time ploughing through each question methodically and logically, making sure to triple check her mathematical working and justification. Setting her pencil down at last, Sakura picked up her paper to check her working again and again but Inner Sakura had already called victory.

"**CHA! We've answered every single one of these right I know it! And without cheating too – take that Kakashi-sensei you old man trying to say we weren't good enough to make it in these exams!" **Inner Sakura jumped around inside Sakura's head doing various victory poses.

"I can't believe Forehead is finished with the exam. She's got a brain behind that billboard brow I'll give her that. But thanks to my mind possession jutsu her brain is going to be working for me and my team" Ino said and raised her hands to perform the mind possession jutsu technique. Her body immediately slumped onto the desk, but the sentinels were none the wiser.

"**W-woah what the hell is going on? Something's trying to get in here!" **Inner Sakura yelled loudly and Sakura herself felt a huge amount of pressure on her head, like a headache but worse. It was as if someone was trying to infiltrate a barrier. Inner Sakura was taking no prisoners and got out her trusty baseball bat.

Ino's spirit meanwhile was trying to gain contact into Sakura's mind. _W-what the hell is going on, it shouldn't be this hard to possess her. It should be instantaneous,_ Ino thought as she pushed and pushed. Inner Sakura held fast and prevented Ino from getting anywhere near Sakura's mind.

"**It's Ino-pig; she's trying to pull a mind possession jutsu on us! CHA INO-PIG GET OUT OF MY HEAD DAMN IT AND WHILE YOU'RE AT IT KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF SASUKE GOT IT!" **Inner Sakura yelled from inside Sakura's head which Ino's spirit was able to hear from the outside.

Something inside Sakura was fighting off her mind possession jutsu. Something with a lot of power, more power than her technique. Hearing those words yelled at her and not being able to get through to Sakura's mind, Ino let herself slip back into her body.

Shaking, Ino could only stare at Sakura who was massaging her temple. What the hell was that inside of her? She didn't see what it had been but it had the power to keep out her technique.

"She's up to something" Ino muttered but the confused looks from Shikamaru and Choji quickly prompted her to find someone else with the answers to mind possess.

_Ino was trying to pull her mind possession jutsu on me to take my answers?_ Sakura thought angrily. Stupid Ino, at least her Inner had been able to fend her off.

"**DAMN RIGHT! LIKE HELL SHE'S GETTING SHIT FROM US!" **Inner fumed.

"The bit about Sasuke though, really?" Sakura asked Inner, annoyed. But Inner Sakura had disappeared somewhere into her mind without giving an answer.

* * *

><p>Naruto was in crisis mode; looking at the clock he had decided that he would put everything on the final question. "5 minutes until the last question is revealed, I have to make it count" he muttered.<p>

Ibiki smirked as he surveyed the room; it was down to nearly half of the initial candidates they had begun with. _Most of the hopeless cases have been weeded out. Good. There's five minutes to go which means it's time for the final question,_ he thought.

"Listen up people. It's time for the tenth and final question" Ibiki called out loudly, startling Sakura. Naruto however had been preparing for the announcement and gripped his pencil tightly.

"Man this guy is full of himself" Sasuke thought. Because the room was now much clearer he was able to spot his pink haired teammate. Catching her eye Sasuke raised an eyebrow questioningly and Sakura gave a nod of affirmation.

"Good, she was able to complete the test" Sasuke smirked but his eyes traveled anxiously to Naruto. Sakura also gave a small smile of satisfaction; at least both she and Sasuke had completed the exam successfully. Sakura watched Ibiki carefully as he directed Kankuro to his seat after his mysteriously long trip to the bathroom.

_"Why is he keeping up the pretence? Obviously those who have left were caught cheating which means all of us remaining now are skilled enough to have completed the exam without getting caught. All that's left to do is tally up the points. Please please let Naruto have got at least one question right or at least get this question right!"_ Sakura thought as she tapped her pencil impatiently waiting.

"There are some more rules, however that you must follow before we can begin question ten. So listen well and don't let it scare you" Ibiki stated in a deathly calm voice. 

* * *

><p>Kakashi sat with Kurenai Yuhi who led Squad 8 and Asuma Sarutobi who led Squad 10 in a room within the Hokage Tower. Although Kakashi kept his poker face composure, he couldn't help but feel some anxiousness for Team 7 and their progress within the Chunin exams. He then commented on the fact that it was very quiet without the rookie squads around to keep them busy. At this Asuma chuckled.<p>

"Don't worry Kakashi, they'll be back sooner than you think I'm sure of it" Asuma said, tapping his cigarette on an ashtray. "Their proctor for this year's written exam is Ibiki"

Kakashi sighed and made a comment about him being some sort of sadist. Kurenai looked at the two Jounin in confusion so Asuma decided to elaborate.

"He's a specialist of sorts, in interrogation and torture. He wouldn't physical torture them of course – it's all mental. He's infamous for it, and he's not head of the Anbu Interrogation and Torture Unit for the Leaf Village without good reason. He's a master of interrogation because he understands how the human mind works. He knows where to poke to uncover weaknesses. He messes up your head so bad you torture yourself." Asuma finished and Kurenai looked shocked.

"Let's hope for all our sakes the rookies make it out of there in one piece. Pass or fail" Kurenai said quietly. 

* * *

><p>"Rule 1: You are free to choose to take the final question or not. If you choose not to take it, you'll get a zero. It doesn't matter if you've answered all other 9 correctly or not. So you and your teammates will fail" Ibiki said and once again whispers broke out about accepting the question and who in their right mind would choose to fail.<p>

"Not so hasty people. You didn't let me finish, if you choose to take the question but you answer it incorrectly you will fail of course but you will not be able to take the Chunin exams ever again" Ibiki finished.

Sakura had to clap her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming in frustration. Sasuke snapped his pencil in half and Naruto resumed shaking like a leaf.

"HEY THAT'S BOGUS MAN! What kind of rules are those huh? People have taken the test before so how come they're here!" Kiba stood up and yelled loudly.

Ibiki chuckled sadistically but regardless of Kiba's outburst the situation was the same.

_Take the question and you have a chance of passing or failing, if you fail you can't come back at take the exams ever again. But you leave now and skip the final question and then come back and try again next time, _Sakura thought.

"The tenth and final question, those who don't want to take it raise your hand. We'll record your number and then you can leave" Ibiki announced and Naruto tense immediately.

Sakura had made up her mind; there was no way she was leaving. Neither was Sasuke. Both looked at each other and then at Naruto who was seated a few rows in front of the both of them. Would he stay or choose to leave?

The ninja seated next to the blonde boy stood up and raised his hand. "That's it I'm out. I can't take it. I'm sorry Genai and Inaho but I can't do it" The man exclaimed as it was announced that he and his teammates had failed.

Soon more people raised their hands, announcing they were leaving as well. Sakura stared at Naruto's back, watching to see what he would do. If he raised his hand they would leave, but be able to do it again. And that wasn't so bad really. But if they were to stay and Naruto was to fail the final question. Or any of them really, it could be herself or Sasuke that could potentially fail. But at least they had answered all the questions; Naruto most likely had not answered any given the difficulty. But all they really needed was for Naruto to pass the final question and with her and Sasuke making up the rest of the points it would be okay.

But it was a gamble, a huge gamble. Sakura had a sudden urge to raise her hand. Sasuke would hate her for it, but Naruto was just so stubborn. But she remained seating with her hand on the desk. It was his choice. As a team they would follow whatever path his choice to leave or stay would take them. She knew Sasuke would not want to be a Genin for the rest of his life, and neither would she. But the choice was down to Naruto. Whatever he chose would affect them all.

Sakura and Sasuke watched horror-struck as Naruto raised his own hand shakily.

SLAM!

The sound echoed across the room as Naruto brought his risen hand down onto the table, his eyes shining a bright blue as he addressed Ibiki.

"Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run away from a challenge. You won't scare me off this, no way! I don't care if I am a genin for the rest of my life, I'll still be Hokage someday!" Naruto yelled, sitting back down in triumph.

_Hmph. Its obvious Naruto is completely clueless about the whole concept of the exam but he's still going for the final question. He's got guts, I'll give him that, _Sasuke thought after watching the display.

"I probably should have seen that one coming. Of course he wasn't going to give in. Now let's hope this final question is something all of us can answer otherwise we'll be stuck as genin" Sakura smiled, slightly impressed.

Ibiki watched the outburst from the blonde boy, it had seemed that it alone had given the other candidates some backbone and despite his asking yet another time, all chose to stay.

_Hmph, 78 left. That was more than I had initially expected, and they all appear to be holding strong. I believe this is it then,_ Ibiki thought and looked at the sentinels who all gave nods of affirmation. This was it.

"I admire your determination, and for all of you left I guess there is nothing left for me to do but to tell you that you have all passed the first exam" Ibiki said in good humour much to the disbelief of everyone else.

"Hang on, so there is no tenth question?" Sakura asked, confused.

"No there isn't, well not a written one anyway. Let's just say your decision to stay was the right answer to the tenth question" Ibiki laughed.

"Wait, so the other 9 questions were meaningless?" Temari called out, a few rows behind Sakura.

"Not exactly, the purpose of the exam was to test your ability to surreptitiously gather information in high pressure circumstances. The questions themselves were hard for the genin level to say the least. Some of you may have picked up on it earlier but the exam was essentially encouraging or even forcing you to cheat. But you needed someone to cheat from, so there were two Chunin sitting the exam who already knew the answers" Ibiki explained.

"**Yeah designed to cheat we knew that from the beginning but HELL YEAH THEY WEREN'T EXPECTING GENIN TO SOLVE THE QUESTIONS WITHOUT CHEATING BUT WE DID IT!" **Inner Sakura danced around victoriously and Sakura had to concede that she was pretty proud of herself.

"If you were caught, you failed. It's better not to cheat than to cheat clumsily. Information can be the most valuable weapon in a battle. Missions fail or succeed based on how well you gather intelligence" Ibiki said and pulled off his head-cloth to reveal his skull which looked seriously damaged.

_His head! Scars and puncture wounds, burn marks. What he must have endured,_ Sakura thought in horror as Ibiki retied his head-cloth over the damage.

"Of course the intelligence you gather from an enemy is not always correct so you have to be careful of your sources. Keep that in mind. Disinformation is just as dangerous. The tenth question was designed to further test your abilities to work as part of a team – your choices before taking the question left you in a no win position. That's the kind of position Chunin are faced with almost every day" Ibiki said and continued on.

"Many missions you take as Chunin will seem suicidal but you don't think about that, you only think about the goal and using courage and strength work towards completing it with your squad. You don't get to take a pass. Those who put themselves before their teammates and their own fears before honour, they will never been Chunin. Well not as long as I have a say. You have passed through the third gate and I wish you all luck" Ibiki finished but before he could dismiss them something broke through the window.

Two kunai knives attached to a dark coloured cloth were thrown into the ceiling. As the cloth unraveled, it revealed a female ninja underneath. Twisting out from underneath the cloth, she came to an upright position in front of the candidates.

"Is this part of the test!?" Naruto yelled.

"ALRIGHT BOYS AND GIRLS LISTEN UP BECAUSE THIS IS NO TIME TO BE CELEBRATING! I'M YOUR SECOND PROCTOR ANKO MITARASHI!" The female ninja called out, the banner behind her reading these exact words.

"TIME FOR THE SECOND TEST! YOU READY? FOLLOW ME!" Anko yelled loudly and threw her fist in the air. But her entrance and words were lost on the candidates who simply stared blankly back at her. Ibiki simply shook his head and told Anko she was early, yet again.

"Ugh really, it's like the second coming of Naruto or something. What is with this lady screaming at a hundred decibels?" Sakura thought as she watched Anko recompose herself.

"How many of you guys are there? Did you let them all pass? Clearly your test is too easy." Anko said, annoyed at the number of potential Chunin left.

"Perhaps we just so happen to have a strong group of candidates this year" Ibiki replied indifferently.

"Hmph. You lot don't look strong enough, don't worry it'll all work out. By the time I'm through with you we'll be down to half of what there is now. This will be fun. You're all dismissed, I'll see you first thing tomorrow morning and I'll be sure to tell your squad leaders where you should meet me" Anko declared.

And with that Team 7 and the rest of the candidates were dismissed from the room, wondering just how much tougher this exam was going to get.


	18. Chunin Exams Part 6

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>The next morning, following Kakashi's instructions, Team 7 met with the rest of the Chunin candidates who had passed the first stage of the exam at the outskirts of the village. Sakura gazed upon what she assumed to be an old training facility. It looked like a forest from a cheesy horror film, the trees twisted and tangled with each other. The whole area was surrounded by a huge wire fence with gates attached to it, locks and signs bearing caution of entry completed the daunting set up.<p>

Three sentinels manned a desk off to the side of the first gate where their next proctor for the exam, Anko stood.

"Well looks like we all decided to show, this is the second location of the exam. The 44th battle training zone but it's mostly called the Forest of Death, and soon enough you guys will experience that for yourselves" Anko laughed with sadistic like pleasure.

Naruto snorted "They call it the forest of death and soon enough you'll find out why" he mocked, hands on his hips and shaking his backside back and forth in some sort of mimic dance.

Sakura and Sasuke exchanged shameful glances; this lady was sadistic enough without Naruto pushing her further.

"Well looks like we have a tough guy" Anko smiled and threw her kunai towards Naruto. The weapon rocketed past the blonde boy and sliced the long hair of a foreign ninja a few metres behind before landing blade first on the ground.

Before Naruto could even wipe at the blood dripping from the cut the kunai had made on his cheek, Anko was behind him. "You scared yet? Tough guys like you leave your blood all over this forest foor" she spoke in a sardonic voice.

Reaching a finger out to collect the blonde ninja's blood, Anko quickly drew out another kunai as she felt the presence of someone behind her. A long purple tongue fell from the mouth of the ninja in the straw hat whose hair had been cut by the blade. The tongue held Anko's previous kunai knife.

"I was, just returning your knife" The straw hat ninja spoke calmly despite the confronting position.

"Why thank you Grass Ninja, but I do recommended you only stand this close behind me if you want to die" Anko said, the corners of her mouth twitching up in amusement and took the knife back.

Quickly the long purple tongue was withdrawn back into the grass ninja's mouth. "My pardon, the sight of blood and your blade through my hair got me excited. No harm intended" chuckling the straw hat ninja returned to the back of the group.

"Seems like we're all a little quick tempered, this will be fun" Anko said to the group happily as Naruto attempted to imitate the Grass Ninja's tongue act.

"Right, before the test actually starts you all get one of these" Anko said, withdrawing sheets of paper from her coat pocket "Just a standard consent form, make sure you read before you sign"

"What exactly are we consenting to?" Sakura asked and Anko smiled.

"I can see I'm going to have to keep repeating myself. It's called the Forest of Death for a reason, some of you might not come back and you need to give consent to take that risk. If I didn't do that, I'd be responsible. Can you imagine that!?" Anko laughed as the candidates stared at her.

Sighing, Anko motioned to Naruto to pass out the consent forms before explaining what this portion of the exam would involve.

"You're going to be tested on your survival skills this time round" Anko began and Sakura looked up sharply, this is what Tsunade had been talking about.

"First let me explain the terrain you're working on. The 44th Battle Zone has 44 locked gate entrances. Rivers and a forest lie inside; the centre holds a locked tower which is located 10 kilometres from each gate. In here is where you'll take the survival test. The test is primarily an anything goes battle, to get your hands on both of these scrolls" Anko spoke holding up the scrolls in question.

"You'll be battling it out to get a Heaven scroll coloured white and an Earth scroll coloured navy blue. Because there are 26 teams all together, half of you will be after a Heaven scroll and the other half an Earth scroll. Each team will get one kind of scroll and you'll be fighting for the other kind" Anko finished.

"Okay, so how do we pass the exam?" Sasuke asked.

"Simple. Your squad must make it to the tower together and bring with them the Heaven and Earth scrolls.

"So what you're saying is at the very best half of us will fail or more if not every team can get both scrolls" Sakura observed.

"Hey, I didn't say it would be easy. Where's the fun in that? Also the exam has a time limit, you need to finish within five days" Anko said bluntly, tucking the scrolls into her coat.

"5 DAYS!" Ino exclaimed in shock.

"What are we supposed to do for food!?" Choji asked in horror, his stomach grumbling at the very thought.

"The forest has enough to feed you for years chubby boy. Just look around" Anko taunted, fed up with the outbursts of the rookies.

"Yeah, but it also has man-eating beasts and poisonous plants" Kabuto added.

"If we're completely surrounded by enemies, we won't have much chance to rest. We'll be required to keep a constant watch" Sakura thought out loud.

"Right you are. This is an endurance test as well to simulate what you will have to do as a Chunin if you ever get caught behind enemy lines. It's designed to be a gruelling test and I don't care what Ibiki says I know some of you won't be up to it" Anko said.

"So say mid-exam we're not feeling up to it? Can we quit?" Shikamaru asked, raising his hand lazily.

"No you can't, you wouldn't do that in battle would you? Oh sorry I quit. Well you could but you'd probably get killed" Anko replied cheerfully.

Shikamaru sighed and muttered something about it all being a drag, Choji had somehow procured yet another bag of potato chips and began wolfing them down.

"There are some ways you can get disqualified though. If all your team members can't make it to the tower with both scrolls after 5 days, if a team loses a member or if a member is unable to continue and last but most important. Not a single person can look at the contents of the scrolls before you reach the tower" Anko in a serious voice.

"The scroll once again is tools for the future, acting in place of say a secret document that a ninja may have to carry. Okay I'm done talking, each team take your consent forms and exchange them over there for your scrolls. Then each team pick a gate and we'll let you in" Anko instructed.

"And don't die, okay?"

* * *

><p>Many of the teams chose to stick together after they had been dismissed. They read over the consent forms in hushed tones, glancing around every once in a while to see who was listening. They attempted to make plans, though what more preparation could be done until they were let in? Sakura thought it odd that Team 7 did not do the same, but Sasuke had walked away on his own clutching the consent form.<p>

Neither Sakura or Naruto pushed it, and Naruto soon departed himself with a cheery wave. Observing that both her teammates were now seated somewhere outside the battle zone, Sakura too walked off in search of somewhere quite to go over the consent form.

Sasuke watched as the sentinels pulled a curtain closed across the desk where they were to go to hand in their consent forms. "I see how it is, we won't know what team has what scroll, or which of the team members has the scroll" Sighing Sasuke leant back, resting his head against the rock he was sitting behind.

_Ibiki was right; stealing information is a matter of life and death. Everyone here is my enemy, _Sasuke thought as he held the consent form tighter in his hand.

Sakura walked aimlessly, reading the paper in her hands. The words blurred and strung together. "Life or death" "Informing family and friends" "Participants own decision" "Hokage not responsible"

"HEY FOREHEAD!" Ino called out loudly, startling Sakura. The Yamanaka girl stomped towards her long-time rival angrily.

"What do you want Ino-pig? Can't you see I'm busy?" Sakura asked annoyed as she waved her consent form at Ino.

"Yeah you're busy alright, busy plotting to win Sasuke over. I can't believe you'd be so underhanded Forehead. But I guess when you're as ugly as you are you have to be sneaky" Ino snapped back.

"What the hell are you talking about Pig?" Sakura growled.

"I'm talking about your new little get up. With your combat boots and aloof uncaring attitude. You're not fooling me for a second! This whole thing is just an act to get Sasuke to fall in love with you!" Ino accused hotly.

"Wait what!" Sakura asked, fuming at the accusation. Why does it always come back to Sasuke!?

"Obviously you've figured out the secret. Sasuke likes cool and aloof girls like him, so you're trying to be one now. Pretending to focus on training and this exam but really you'll be all over him in there! You think just cause you're on the same team as him it's free game!" Ino yelled back.

"UGH! Get it through your stupid Pig head. I'm not a Sasuke fan-girl anymore. I was pathetic and delusional! He does like me and he never will! I'm doing this for myself now, it's not about winning him over or whatever so back off and leave me alone" Sakura spat maliciously.

"Yeah right like I'd believe that ever. You're still the same weak pathetic Sakura you've always been! I'm surprised they let your talentless self in here, you don't do anything" Ino argued.

"Psh I'm not weak, maybe I used to be but I'm not anymore! I don't care what you think Pig. And next time use what little brain you happen to have and figure out the answers to an exam yourself. Instead of using your stupid mind jutsu on me cause it won't work. Clearly you need to work on that!" Sakura snapped furiously at her long term rival.

"You're still weak to me Forehead girl! And I don't know why my jutsu didn't work on you. Maybe because your giant forehead blocked the way! But something is going on with you and I'm going to find out what it is! AND Sasuke is MINE so hands off loser!" Ino all but screamed.

Both girls turned on their heels and stormed off, fuming mad at each other. Shikamaru and Choji who had witnessed the altercation were left in shock. "We're lucky they didn't turn on us, man this is such a drag" Shikamaru huffed.

_Stupid Ino-pig and her dumb obsession with Sasuke. Ugh she's so annoying, _Sakura muttered angrily as she stomped back in the direction she had come.

"Sakura" Sasuke called out as he saw his female teammate approaching.

Hearing Sasuke's voice the pink haired girl stopped and looked for the Uchiha boy. Seeing him seated behind a rock, Sakura hesitantly approached and sat next to him keeping a safe distance between them.

"You ready for this?" Sasuke asked, not really knowing why he had called her over in the first place.

"I guess so. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous though" Sakura replied, looking towards the forest.

"Yeah, I guess that proctor doesn't really help either huh?" Sasuke offered smirking, noticing Sakura's worried he had the sudden urge to lighten the mood.

"Yeah she's really something isn't she" Sakura quipped and chuckled slightly. She had noted Sasuke's attempt to lighten the mood and appreciated it.

"We're going to be okay. You know that right?" Sasuke ventured, unable to believe what he had just said. "Yah this girl" he thought to himself, annoyed at the uncontrollable reactions towards his teammate.

"Yeah, I know Sasuke. Thank you" Sakura said, turning to face him and smiled genuinely. Sasuke felt his lips curling upwards into a smirk.

Both teammates decided they might as well go and wait near the sentinels desk to exchange their forms. They emerged from behind the rock. Neither of the two was at all aware that their location could be hinting at something more than a friendly chat.

"I KNEW IT! FOREHEAD YOU'RE SUCH A LIAR!" Ino yelled, spying the two Team 7 members. Sakura rolled her eyes and Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets. The blonde girl was loud.

"Oh Sakura! How could you do this to our love! Why do you test my love for you! Why do you sneak off with the Uchiha brat?!" Rock Lee proclaimed loudly with great sadness.

Sakura, who had been glaring viciously at Ino, blushed at Lee's words. Sneak off with Sasuke? That wasn't what they were doing at all. Great, now Ino had her 'evidence' of Sakura's apparent interest in Sasuke still.

_Ugh it wasn't even my fault, Sasuke called me over himself,_ Sakura thought as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Sasuke on the other hand shot his death glare at Lee, this guy again? Testing his love? There was none, Sakura didn't feel the least bit inclined towards the busy brow freak. And calling him a brat, Uchiha's were not brats. Sasuke's glare intensified.

Ino stared at Sakura accusingly, and was about to her open her mouth again but one of the sentinels drew back the curtains. "We're going to start exchanging the forms now. Please gather your teams together and wait in line" he announced.

Before Ino could snap at anyone or Lee give anymore unwanted declarations, Sakura had grabbed Sasuke by the wrist and pulled him away towards the exchange desk without a word of protest from the Uchiha boy. Ino's eyes narrowed as she watched her long term rival drag her childhood crush away.

"You're going to pay for this Sakura" Ino thought as she watched Team 7 enter the booth.

* * *

><p>"Every team has been issued with a scroll! Teams need to pick a gate and stand in front of it; once the gates open the test is on!" Anko instructed.<p>

"Oh yeah! We're going to kick ass at this survival thing! Hinata you need to be strong for this!" Kiba said as Team 8 gathered around the gate numbered 16.

"This test may cost us our lives which is beyond a drag, but we might as well go after Naruto first" Shikamaru said as he, Choji and Ino stood outside gate number 27.

Ino nodded in affirmation, weakling Sakura was going down. Choji paid no mind to both of them, but continuously checked his ninja pouch for the different foods he packed.

Naruto was all fired up and ready to go as Team 7 stood around gate 12. "Bring it on enemy ninja! We'll send it back twice as hard!" he declared throwing punches. Sakura and Sasuke nodded, they were ready.

Gate 20 was chosen by the Sound Ninja who wore matching smirks. "Finally we can carry out our orders in the open" the bandaged man declared.

Kankuro looked at Gaara, slightly worried as they stood outside gate 6. _I have to watch out for other enemy ninja but Gaara might try to kill me himself,_ he thought.

"Gai-sensei! I will make you proud!" Lee declared as he and his team waited for gate 41 to be opened.

The sentinel standing in front of Team 7's gate turned and unlocked their entrance. At exactly 3:30 Anko looked up from her watch.

"Alright maggots look alive! The second part of the exam starts now!" she yelled and each of the entry points were flung open as the teams raced in.

"You know who we're looking for right?" The grass ninja with the straw hat asked. "Yeah those three brats, no problem" the teammates replied as the three ninja sped off into the forest.

"LET'S GO!" Naruto yelled as Team 7 also entered the Forest of Death.

After a few minutes screams echoed throughout the forest and Anko smirked in satisfaction that was the sound of the first team down. "Looks like the fun has begun"

Team 7 too had heard the screams, and Sakura's nerves were set on edge. "We need to keep focused" Sasuke said. Sakura nodded but Naruto simply laughed.

"Aww c'mon you guys! This is going to be a cake walk" Naruto said but fell silent almost immediately, he then quickly dashed to the nearest bush. "Uh excuse me a sec I gotta take a leak" he said and began to unzip his pants.

"Ugh. No you don't Naruto. I know we have to put up with a lot over these 5 days but having you pee in front of me is not one. Go behind that bush" Sakura said defiantly. Sasuke smirked as Naruto left.

It wasn't long before the blonde ninja re-appeared, completely satisfied with his trip to the bushes and proceeded to exclaim how he almost wrote his whole name. But before Sakura could begin to reprimand him she saw something and quickly backhanded him into the nearest tree.

"So you saw it too huh? Good" Sasuke asked and Sakura turned around to see he had already drawn his kunai. Drawing hers as well, both members of Team 7 faced off against Naruto.

"W-what the heck are you guys doing? It's me!" Naruto exclaimed, terrified.

"Psh yeah right. Now talk, what have you done with Naruto huh?" Sasuke demanded, holding his kunai up threateningly.

"What!? I am Naruto" Naruto yelled.

"If you're Naruto then how come the cut on your cheek is gone? I guess you didn't know he got one from that sadistic proctor before the exam began" Sakura said.

"And you have your shuriken holster on your left leg not your right. But the real Naruto is right handed. Your transformation skills are worse than Naruto's. Now who are you?" Sasuke echoed.

A huge puff of white smoke revealed the man who had transformed into Naruto. His hair stuck up in all directions, and his face was covered with a metal mask. "So you figured it out, big deal. I'm still going to take your scroll. Which one of you has it?"

Neither Sasuke nor Sakura spoke a word. "Fine, I guess we'll just find out won't we?" the impostor said, his words and breathing sounding labored through the metal mask on his mouth. With that he charged straight for the remaining members of Team 7.

Sasuke took action immediately; leaping into the air he performed a few quick hand signs. "Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Hundreds of fireballs rained down upon the metal mask man but he managed to dodge each one. Both ninja lept into the air and their kunai knives scraped together generating sparks. They quickly broke away from each other.

The impostor ninja lept over a few tree branches, causing Sasuke to chase him down. That was until he spied Naruto.

"Hey can someone untie me?" Naruto called out loudly.

"Sakura! Naruto the idiot is tied up down here! Can you handle this while I finish this guy?" Sasuke called back.

Sakura nodded and quickly ran to where Naruto was lying tied down, she was a little disappointed that she didn't get a shot at the impostor but they had to do what was best for their team situation.

"Hey you better keep your mind on the fight!" The impostor called out to Sasuke who had been momentarily distracted by his teammates. The masked man threw several kunai which the Uchiha prodigy ducked under a tree branch to avoid.

Sakura who had finished untying Naruto noticed that one of the kunai near Sasuke had a piece of paper attached to it.

"SASUKE HEADS UP! PAPER BOMB!" Sakura yelled loudly as the bomb exploded sending Sasuke hurtling backwards.

Falling through the air towards the ground, Sasuke was quickly able to land safely however the masked man was behind him in an instant, kunai to his throat. "Looks like you fail this test!" The man said raising the kunai.

Sakura and Naruto quickly charged forward, Naruto throwing his kunai knife forward forcing the man to leap into the air. Sakura concentrated her chakra and surged upwards, following the masked man. Cocking her fist, the pink haired teen landed a hard punch to the enemy ninja's stomach.

Taking his as his cue, Sasuke took his kunai in hand and rammed it into the man. Sakura landed back on the ground and quickly put Naruto on the alert.

"We need to be careful! There could be others waiting to strike us at any moment!" she said and Naruto quickly drew another kunai, expectantly.

"I wish I had, I came alone so as not to arouse suspicion!" The man with the metal mask explained as he wrenched Sasuke's kunai out of his chest and quickly fled into the forest.

Landing on the ground, Sasuke looked at the rest of Team 7. "I think we need to have a team meeting don't you?" he asked monotone. Naruto nodded his head sheepishly.

_That guy is gone for now but I wonder how long it'll be until we're attacked again?_ Sakura wondered as she followed her teammates out of the exposed area. 

* * *

><p>Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review and give as much feedback as you'd like :)<p>

I'm also in the process of going through the story and re-uploading chapters which I've checked for spelling, grammar and structure mistakes so thank you to everyone who has mentioned those to me. I'm up to The Land of Waves chapter in terms of editing but I will eventually do them all! ^^

Thanks again for supporting this story and expect an update in a week like usual.


	19. Chunin Exams Part 7

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>"Clearly we can't just trust appearances" Sakura said quietly and her teammates nodded.<p>

Team 7 were huddled together on the forest floor after Naruto's impersonator had fled, all were a little shaken but clearly they needed to figure out some sort of plan.

"We need a way to be able to identify each other as who we say we are, and spot any impostors" Sasuke added.

"Okay, so how do we do that?" Naruto asked.

All three ninja fell silent for a minute, trying to come up with something. An idea quickly popped into Sakura's head.

"How about a password or secret code? Something only the three of us know so there's no question of whose an impostor or not" Sakura offered.

"Hn. I like it, and we don't trust anyone who doesn't know it. No exceptions" Sasuke agreed.

"Yeah a password, too easy! How about Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto asked.

"No, it's too easy. You can bet other candidates have probably done their research on us and who our sensei is. Kakashi isn't exactly unknown. Plus Kabuto can't be the only one with information on all the wannabe Chunin" Sakura stated.

"A question and answer code then, similar to the ones we were taught in the academy" Sasuke declared. Sakura and Naruto nodded.

"Well listen up because I don't want to have to say this more than once. The question is: When does an ninja strike? And the response: A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, his weapons lying forgotten in the night. That is when a ninja strikes" Sasuke spoke lowly and clearly.

"Right, got it" Sakura said, the code locked away in her memory. Naruto on the other hand looked completely perplexed but Sasuke didn't seem too troubled by it.

"Can't we get one a little shorter Teme?" Naruto whined.

"No Naruto, that's it. Now I'll take the scroll" Sasuke decided and Team 7 got to their feet.

"Hey Sasuke, hold on – ugh!" Naruto groaned as an unseen object from deep within the forest flew out and sliced his other cheek.

Before anyone could even reach for their shuriken holsters, a huge vortex of wind rushed out of the same part of the forest. All three genin raised their arms to their faces to block the onslaught.

"What is it now!?" Sasuke yelled above the wind but he was met with no response.

The vortex ended as quickly as it had begun, a huge chasm was left on the forest floor. Sakura, like the rest of Team 7, had hidden herself and observed the channel of earth. It stretched deep into the forest where the vortex had begun, past where Team 7 had their meeting and further into the opposite direction.

_I wonder if anyone heard our password, _Sakura thought as she held her kunai tighter.

Hidden behind a tree, Sakura quickly surveyed her surroundings before stepping out. She needed to regroup with Sasuke and Naruto and fast. Being alone in the forest was not an option, besides the whole team had to make it to the tower.

She had not noticed it at first, but the new ninja outfit Tsunade-sama had picked out for her had many secret pockets and compartments. In both the shirt and pants. In case of anyone watching, Sakura bent down nonchalantly to adjust the laces of her combat boots. In doing so she brushed past one of the compartments sewn into her pants.

Feel the small lump of Team 7's Heaven Scroll, Sakura let out an inaudible sigh before straightening up again. Thanks to Tsunade, anything concealed within her outfit was invisible to any opponent. Taking a few tentative steps towards a clump of bushes, Sakura almost had a heart attack when Sasuke jumped out at her.

Both ninja quickly drew their kunai. "When does a ninja strike!?" They asked, looking at each other carefully for any signs of deception.

"A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, his weapons lying forgotten in the night. That is when a ninja strikes" Both Sasuke and Sakura recited in unison, and relaxed slightly.

"HEY YOU GUYS ALRIGHT? EVERYONE OKAY? MAN THAT WIND JUST-"

"Naruto. Don't take another step, when does a ninja strike?" Sakura asked calmly as the blonde ninja raced towards them.

"Oh right the password, let's see then. A ninja waits until the time is right, when the enemy sleeps and drops his guard, his weapons lying forgotten in the night. That is when a ninja strikes" Naruto exclaimed proudly, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hmph, seems fine to me. Wouldn't you say Sakura?" Sasuke smirked.

"Yep, word for word. Imagine that, Naruto who can't even remember the basic components of chakra off by heart can memorise that password" Sakura concurred.

With that Sasuke drew his kunai yet again and threw it at Naruto who dived out of the way to avoid it.

"Well you're sharper than that other guy at least" Sasuke said as Sakura drew her kunai as well.

"What are you guys doing!? It's me, Naruto! I remember you're stupid password didn't I?" Naruto demanded, sprawled on the ground.

"Well that was the whole point, Sakura and I had already decided before the exam had even started what our code would be. We made sure it was something we could memorise and Naruto couldn't." Sasuke snapped.

"Yeah, Naruto's hopeless for remembering lengthy pieces of information" Sakura chimed in.

"So you might as well come on out, party's over" Sasuke said, twirling his knife.

"Well well, clever ones aren't we?" Naruto smiled, speaking in a feminine voice, his eyes changed and a familiar long tongue poked through his mouth and he licked his lips.

A huge cloud of white smoke obscured their view, but as it cleared Naruto's second impostor was revealed as the Grass Ninja from the beginning of the second exam. The one with the long tongue who had returned Anko's kunai knife and given Sakura creepy chills.

"I am impressed, neither of you have dropped your guards. This will be fun huh?" The female grass ninja said before removing her straw hat and licking her lips again.

_Ugh this woman is too weird. Where on earth is Naruto? S_akura wondered as she and Sasuke prepared to do battle once more. 

* * *

><p>At the end of the channel of dirt created by the huge wind vortex was Naruto who had collided head first with a tree. Groaning Naruto rolled himself over onto his stomach and rubbed his head in pain. Sitting up, he spied the channel and quickly looked around.<p>

"Where the heck are Sasuke and Sakura?" Naruto asked out loud.

Suddenly a huge shadow fell over his surroundings, making the forest even darker than it already was. Looking up, Naruto came face to face with the biggest snake he had ever seen in his entire life. It was massive, half as high as the tallest tree in the forest. It's body wound on and on for miles as far as the blonde boy could tell.

It hissed angrily at him before charging head first towards the ground where Naruto sat, moving quickly the blonde boy dodge the massive snake's attack which left a crater in the ground where the ninja had been sitting.

Before Naruto had time to turn around, the snake had already coiled its body around the boy. With one final look at the ninja, the snake opened its mouth and swallowed Naruto whole. It then moved off back into the forest, looking for more prey to digest and taking the third member of Team 7 away from his teammates and their predicament. 

* * *

><p>Reaching into her ninja pouch, the grass ninja pulled out an Earth scroll. Both Sasuke and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise and the enemy ninja made a noise of recognition.<p>

"Ah, so you need an Earth scroll. I bet you'd love to get your hands on ours" The grass ninja said lifting her Earth Scroll up to her mouth.

In a matter of seconds the grass ninja with the assistance of her tongue had swallowed the entire Earth Scroll down her throat.

"When this is over, I guess one of us will have both scrolls. And the other will be dead" she said, and pulled her bottom eyelid down exposing a snake like pupil.

Before Sasuke and Sakura could even register what she was trying to do, they were rooted to the spot. Their eyes connected with hers, despite the distance between themselves and the female enemy ninja. Sakura felt an icy chill go up her spine; a scene was playing before her in her mind. It showed the story of her death, her ninja clothes bloodied and torn with multiple stab wounds. It was so real, she could feel it. Feel what it was like to die.

She fell to her knees, taking in loud and raspy breaths. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke do the same. That was how it was going to happen; this woman was going to kill them both.

_W-what is this? S-some sort of illusion? _Sasuke thought. Quickly he felt himself leaning forward and began to throw up out of sheer terror. This was no illusion. It was a promise of things to come.

_H-her thirst for blood, I-I can feel it, _Sakura thought, involuntary tears of fear streaming down her face.

Digging her hands into the earth she tried to steady herself. Nothing had happened yet, but it would if she and Sasuke couldn't get away.

Reaching a trembling hand towards her ninja pouch, Sakura looked across at Sasuke who was trying to do the same.

_W-we need to leave. This woman is death itself_

* * *

><p>"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Naruto bellowed within the large snake as it slid around the tree branches of the forest.<p>

"I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SORRY YOU SWALLOWED ME!" he screamed, coated in snake digestive juices, Naruto tried and failed to stab its insides with his kunai knife.

Reaching into his pouch, Naruto pulled out what he hoped could act as a decent bargaining chip. A rice ball he had been saving for lunch. Staring at it longingly, the blond boy dropped it and watched it roll away before dissolving completely.

"AH THIS GIANT SNAKE IS TRYING TO EAT ME!" Naruto cried. Man oh man where were Sasuke and Sakura to help him out of this mess? 

* * *

><p>The woman chuckled, watching the two genin struggle to reach for their weapons. "You're paralysed by fear" she stated. Sakura couldn't even muster a glare. She was right they couldn't move.<p>

"**Sakura let's go, this is no time to freak out. Reach for your kunai; I can see Sasuke he's standing up. You can't leave him to do this alone. You have to move!" **Inner Sakura spoke quietly but determinedly.

She always arrived on time, always knew what to say. It had been like this since Sakura was a little girl, Inner was always there.

Finally grasping onto her kunai, Sakura shakily stood up next to Sasuke. Both still suffering the paralysis of fear, they were able to make eye contact with each other. The message was clear.

"_We have to leave!"_

"Oh how sweet, standing up together to die together. But you already know that, after all you did see it" The grass ninja said in a sickly sweet voice, advancing towards them drawing two kunai knives.

_Ugh! I can't believe it, is this how it ends? Eaten by a snake? _Naruto asked, reflecting on all the important people in his life. Even Sasuke who he'd never settled his quarrel with.

Settled his quarrel? That's right! They were always completing but never found out who was best! Naruto couldn't let himself die! That would be giving up! They would never get to settle their competition!

"Right that's it! I'm getting out of this snake one way or another!" he declared.

The grass ninja stared at the empty space where Sasuke and Sakura had been. A little blood was left on the ground but that was all. The two kunai she threw were imbedded in a nearby tree trunk.

"So that's how it's going to be huh?" The grass ninja muttered and prepared to give chase.

In another part of the forest Sakura raised her hand over Sasuke's bleeding thigh. In order to get himself to focus and snap out of the paralysis, Sasuke had punctured his own leg with his knife before grabbing Sakura's wrist and escaping.

Sakura was impressed, she would not have thought of that herself. Now she too had snapped completely out of the paralysis as well and was able to heal Sasuke's leg efficiently. He hissed as she removed the knife, but other than that the Uchiha boy remained silent. Both ninja listened for her, the grass woman. This was nowhere near over; their escape bought them time but not much.

"We need to prepare ourselves, she'll be back" Sasuke said through gritted teeth as he stood up.

Sakura nodded "Where the hell is Naruto?" she wondered out loud.

"I don't know but we could use him right now. This woman is psychotic and more is better than less" Sasuke muttered. 

* * *

><p>"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" A cry came from deep inside the giant snake that roamed the forest floors.<p>

The snake expanded to 10 times its own size before exploding and falling to the ground dead. Naruto and his many clones emerged.

"Alright, no time to stand around. Gotta find Sasuke and Sakura!" Naruto declared before running off into the forest in what he hoped was the right direction. 

* * *

><p>Sakura watched Sasuke carefully. Honestly she was half tempted to ask Sasuke the password again because he was not acting like himself. Clearly the encounter with that woman had shaken him up a lot. His eyes darted everywhere in paranoia. Sakura could detect no chakra signals but suddenly heard a loud hissing. Turning around she saw a huge snake behind her.<p>

"Sasuke move!" Sakura yelled and grabbed her teammates arm before using her chakra to get out of the way as the snake sank its fangs into where they had just been standing.

"H-How did I not see that. I-I'm losing it!" Sasuke yelled out loud drawing the snake's attention as it coiled itself around trees to reach the two ninja.

"Sasuke what the hell is wrong with you?" Sakura yelled as she drew a few ninja stars. Sasuke simply stared at the snake in horror as he saw the grass ninja reflected within the snake.

"NO STAY AWAY!" Sasuke yelled in sheer terror, Sharingan activated and spinning.

Standing in front of him Sakura threw her shuriken which lodged inside the snakes open throat, tearing it to pieces and sending the giant serpent crashing to the ground, presumably choking on the objects.

Sakura looked at her teammate; she had never seen Sasuke act like this. What had that woman done to him? Was it the paralysis? Surely not because she had experienced it too. The pink haired teen had no more time to contemplate this as she watched the skin of the dead snake split open.

"I sense your fear and desperation, prey must always been on guard in the presence of its predator!" The grass ninja said, emerging from the dead snake's skin.

With her long tongue hanging out of her mouth, the woman coiled herself inhumanly like a snake around the tree Sasuke and Sakura were perched on. In the blink of an eye she was mere centimetres away from them. Sasuke yelled loudly and Sakura attempted to shield them both but she had no time to reach for a weapon.

That was until four ninja stars and a kunai knife landed between the two genin and the grass ninja. Sakura looked up and gave a small smile of relief. The third member of Team 7 had finally arrived.

"Looks like I came just in time huh?" Naruto said proudly.

Sakura quickly drew her kunai knife but Sasuke remained terrified and stared at the grass ninja. The pink haired teen was glad of Naruto's arrival; she needed his help now more than ever. Maybe Naruto's spirit and competitive side would snap Sasuke out of his state.

"NARUTO GET OUT OF HERE WHILE YOU STILL CAN! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE UP AGAINST!" Sasuke yelled at his teammate.

_Hmph, so much for him snapping out of this _Sakura thought.

"So Naruto, I see you managed to escape my snake friend. Well done" The grass ninja commended.

Sakura glared at the enemy ninja who licked her lips in response. Naruto surveyed the scene, slightly confused.

"I don't know what's going on but you've been picking on my friends and I don't like that. Not to mention you had a giant snake try and digest me! So you just better slither back to your hole in the ground freaky snake lady! Or I'll make a pair of shoes out of you!" Naruto yelled.

In spite of herself Sakura chuckled, Naruto's loud proclamations and threats were somehow soothing to her. She felt like they stood a real chance again.

Sasuke got to his feet, glaring up at his blonde teammate. Naruto's arrival had dug their grave even further. Those threats were going to aggravate whatever this thing was and Naruto didn't seem to know or care.

_I have to do something, _Sasuke thought as he looked at his two teammates and the 'snake lady' as Naruto had dubbed the ninja. It seemed to him there was only one way out.

"You can have it" Sasuke said loudly and clearly.

The snake lady looked up, mildly interested. "Hmm have what?" she asked. Sasuke looked at Sakura who was standing in front of him.

"Our scroll, that's what you want right? You can take it and leave us in peace. Sakura give it to her" Sasuke ordered.

"What!? Sasuke you're insane, this snake woman is influencing your decision making skills. There is no way I'm handing this scroll over!" Sakura said angrily.

"Ah so the girl has it, there's something interesting about you girl that I have noticed. Something that goes on inside your head. I _heard_ it back in the clearing, it speaks to you does it not?" The grass ninja asked Sakura in a calm voice.

_I-Inner. She/it is talking about Inner. But h-how, how does she know? _Sakura thought completely shocked. No one knew about Inner, even she did not fully understand her Inner.

"Hmm well perhaps that is a story for another time then" The snake lady said dismissively. Sasuke and Naruto looked at Sakura, just as confused as she was.

"AH SASUKE-TEME! You can't give this thing our scroll! The Sasuke I know would never give in like this!" Naruto yelled.

"SHUT UP NARUTO AND STAY OUT OF THIS!" Sasuke yelled back and quickly moved in front of Sakura.

"Give me the scroll Sakura" Sasuke demanded.

"Don't give it to him Sakura!" Naruto yelled from his spot in the trees a few metres up.

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Sakura yelled.

"Listen here I don't know what you want with us but you're not getting this damn scroll. Got it!" the pink haired teen declared, glaring at the snake woman.

Sasuke yanked her back harshly. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? We're going to die!" he yelled.

One minute Sasuke was on the tree branch with Sakura and the next he was flying through the air. Steadying himself the Uchiha survivor was able to land on another branch safely but turned around angrily. Naruto had jumped down from his spot and punched Sasuke hard.

"I might not know the password but I know who I am. The question is who you are!" Naruto huffed, breathing loudly.

"What are you talking about!? It's me you stupid loser!" Sasuke called back angrily.

Sakura could see what Naruto was getting at, she was sure Sasuke wasn't an impostor. But ever since the grass ninja had attacked them, Sasuke had been acting different.

"Liar! LIAR! You make look and sound like him but you're not the Sasuke I know! Sasuke wouldn't run away from a fight like a coward!" Naruto said and Sasuke stiffened.

_Although Sasuke's not an impostor, Naruto's accusations seem to be hitting home and he might just be snapping out of this terrified trance. Might as well help it along, _Sakura thought.

"Naruto's right! You've choked! You can't defend your teammates or your own life. And that's not the Sasuke I know either!" Sakura called out and Sasuke whipped around to stare at her.

Drawing another kunai, the pink haired teen pointed one at Sasuke to add effect while keeping the other trained on the grass ninja.

"Your quarrels and scroll do not matter to me! I could simply kill you all and take it!" The grass ninja declared with a creepy tongue flourish.

"Yeah let's see you do it then!" Naruto yelled and charged straight for the snake lady, kunai drawn.

The enemy ninja bit her thumb drawing blood, and rolling up her sleeve to reveal some strange markings imprinted on her skin, wiped her thumb across the markings.

"Summoning Jutsu!" the ninja yelled doing a few quick hand signs.

The same gust of wind that had separated Naruto from his teammates blew once again and the grass ninja was soon standing upon the head of another summoned giant snake. 

* * *

><p>"Yum, yum! Nothing makes these dumplings go down better than sweet red bean soup!" Anko exclaimed as she ate quietly sitting atop the sentinel's desk outside of the Forrest of Death.<p>

"As soon as I finish my snack I'll see how the kiddies are doing" she said happily taking another big bite of a dumpling.

Suddenly one of the sentinels appeared in a puff of white smoke in front of her. "I'm sorry ma'am but we have a situation" he said in an urgent tone. Anko huffed.

"There are corpses, three corpses!" the sentinel explained.

"Seriously dude? Hello trying to eat here?" Anko said mouth full.

"I think you'll want to see them, there is something very strange about them" the sentinel said before disappearing and leaving Anko to follow him.

"So what's their deal?" Anko asked one of the four sentinels who stood around the corpses.

"Hidden Grass village ninja, registered for the Chunin exams. They weren't just killed either" one responded.

"All their faces are gone as well" Anko observed, a terrified look coming across her face.

"Yeah it's like their faces melted or something" another person commented.

"It's his jutsu, no doubt. Why is he here? What could he possibly want at the Chunin exams?" Anko asked herself, rubbing a spot on the back of her neck.

"Listen up! You need to report exactly what has happened to Lord Hokage. Then you need to tell ANBU Black Ops that we need to convoys in the Forrest of Death stat! I'm going in after these impostors!" the proctor yelled.

"Right!" the sentinels departed immediately.

_So you've come to the Hidden Leaf Village, Orochimaru, _Anko thought as she entered the Forrest of Death.


	20. Chunin Exams Part 8

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Naruto was barely inches away from the snake as it threw its huge body onto the forest floor, almost crushing him in the process. The grass ninja turned creepy snake lady grinned in satisfaction as she watched Naruto pant heavily.<p>

_In and out and in and out and in and out, his blood pumps the oxygen around his body. I can smell it! He will make a delicious meal. _

The snake quickly flicked its tail into the air, hitting the branch Naruto had moved to and sending the blond ninja into the air. He broke through three other branches before hitting a fourth. Sakura and Sasuke watched as he hit the forth branch with a sickening crunch and fell lifelessly towards the ground.

Neither of the other two ninja could do much at all. Sakura debated jumping across to catch her fallen teammate but there was no way they would make it past the snakes jaw in time. But suddenly Naruto came to and reversed the fall to kick the snake on the mouth.

Bouncing back into the air, Sakura could clearly see the whisker markings forming on the sides of his face and his pupils turn a light red. The grass ninja too, seemed momentarily stunned. Naruto floated through the air slowly before re-positioning himself and charged for the snake.

From the fox's chakra seeping through the seal, Naruto threw multiple punches at the snake with inhuman speed. It had little effect and the snake tossed the boy back with a flick of its tongue. But Naruto was unperturbed and shot forward again. It was only when the grass ninja blew a stream of fire towards him that Naruto fell, breaking through another three tree branches and landed face up.

"Well that was interesting! Now let's see how you fair!" The snake lady shouted and directed the snake towards Sasuke who was staring at Naruto's fallen body.

_Damn! He's not going to be quick enough!_ Sakura thought as she lept from her branch. Pushing Sasuke out of the way she began to collect the chakra in her fist.

The grass ninja smirked as she watched. "That chakra control, it's very similar to Tsunade. Has she been trained by her? It is very amusing"

Her fist made contact with the snake and to her credit; Sakura did manage to send it back. But it wasn't enough. The snake was too quick and her chakra punches took some time to gather. The grass ninja laughed sadistically as the snake made to strike again.

However as chance would have it, Naruto had awoken and saw the scene before him. At the thought of his teammates incurring the slightest injury, the Nine Tailed fox's chakra propelled him forward. Before Sakura knew what she would do about her predicament, Naruto had stopped the snake's next attack.

He had his arms outstretched, preventing it from going any further. Two kunai knives plunged into the beast, just below its eyes. Breathing heavily, the blond boy turned his attention to Sasuke who was standing again.

"You're not hurt are you? Scaredy cat?" Naruto asked, shoving the words Sasuke had said to him back in his face. Sasuke looked at his teammate in disbelief.

"Well? How can you stand there like a frozen rabbit!? Leaving Sakura and I to take on this guy ourselves!? That's not the Sasuke I know!" Naruto spat angrily.

"Naruto look out!" Sakura shouted as the grass ninja's impossibly long tongue wrapped around her teammate, hoisting him into the air.

The blond boy struggled but it was in vain as the grass ninja gazed upon him.

"So the Nine Tails lives, sealed inside this boy. Whenever his anger boils over, its chakra seeps out through the seal! Interesting childhood he must have had" The grass ninja thought.

Lifting up Naruto's shirt with its tongue, the snake like ninja exposed the seal which kept the Nine Tails inside. Spreading one hand, five purple flames appeared covering each fingertip. The grass ninja then raised the hand and held it near the markings on Naruto's stomach.

"Five Pronged Seal!" the ninja yelled and slammed the flaming hand against the Nine Tails seal.

The blood curdling scream that Naruto let out shook Sakura to the bone. He was in pain! They had to do something!

"SASUKE! SNAP OUT OF IT! THAT NINJA IS HURTING NARUTO! HE'S IN PAIN!" Sakura screamed at her teammate.

Naruto's seal now had five new markings around it, Sakura couldn't see whether they had damaged her teammate or not. But it was more than likely that nothing this snake lady was going to do would be beneficial to them.

All the previous fight had completely gone from Naruto, his eyes shifted back to their normal blue. His body sagged, completely exhausted.

"Hmm. One day this boy will merge with the demons power. He may harness it and become formidable or the demon will kill him. Either way he is of no use to me now" the grass ninja decided and flung Naruto into the air behind him.

_There's no way he'll make that fall. The jump is dangerous, right past that snake thing but I can't just let him fall! _Sakura thought as she jumped from her branch to catch Naruto.

Oddly enough, the grass ninja did nothing but her eyes remained trained on Sasuke. Sakura caught Naruto and carefully lay him down on the nearest branch.

_What is with this lady/thing? It's been after Sasuke ever since this fight started? Why is she so interested in him? She didn't move a muscle to try and stop me!_ Sakura wondered.

Sasuke was vaguely conscious of the fact that he was facing off alone against the snake ninja. But all he could hear was that voice in his head. Him, the one he longed to kill. Telling him he wasn't strong enough and to run and save his own life. He couldn't take it!

"NO!" Sasuke yelled loudly, finally snapping out of his frozen trance. His Sharingan activated automatically as he made eye contact with the grass ninja.

"Finally, his Uchiha blood has come to the boil. I can almost taste it!" the grass ninja thought.

"Sasuke! You okay?" Sakura asked, relieved he seemed to be back to normal.

"Yeah I'm fine. Stay there and take care of Naruto!" Sasuke called back.

"But are you-"

"I can handle this! Just stay with him and keep him safe!" Sasuke cut her off and whipped out a kunai.

Sakura conceded, of course someone had to stay with Naruto. But she couldn't deny the awful feeling she had in the pit of her stomach. This snake woman wanted something from Sasuke, she had an interest in him and that couldn't be good.

"Of course. How could I have been so foolish? If I can't face this demon how can I face my brother!? I have to protect my teammates!" Sasuke thought to himself and ran forward.

The grass ninja had made the snake disappear and wore an amused smile as Sasuke came running. He jumped into the air and threw the kunai that he had drawn as well as a few others; the grass ninja easily dodged them. Sasuke wasn't done.

Using the nearest tree as a spring board, he decided to go into close range combat. Aiming several kicks in the air, Sasuke attempted to land one on the ninja's face. But the snake lady was quick and blocked it. The Uchiha boy flipped backwards and both ninja ran at each other again quickly.

The combat moves were so quick Sakura could barely see it all, but Sasuke's sharingan allowed him to read the moves coming. Neither the grass ninja nor Sasuke himself had taken a hit yet.

The snake lady jumped into the air and began to travel around the enclosed space of forest at a dizzying speed. Twisting and turning in and out of the branches. Sakura felt dizzy trying to watch but Sasuke could see the moves and moved before the ninja could strike.

He then turned and quickly blew a fireball towards the demon, taking in a huge breath of air he quickly followed up with a second one. Churning up the bark on the branch, the grass ninja slithered forward to take a hidden swipe at Sasuke who jumped to avoid it.

Both stood at a brief impasse, sizing each other up.

_He's good. He can read my moves and his aim is true,_ the grass ninja thought as she studied Sasuke.

Quickly the snake lady let out an almighty scream and sent a huge torrent of wind towards Sasuke who once again managed to avoid it. Sakura watched completely shocked as the wind torrent sliced a tree clean in half. For a moment she couldn't see Sasuke at all.

Then he fell from a branch above the snake ninja, and twisting her upside down held her tightly and made for the ground. Hitting the ground head-first the enemy ninja showed no signs of movement. Sasuke disentangled himself and jumped back a few leaps just in case.

Both he and Sakura watched distraught as the once crushed grass ninja began to melt into a pile of brown sludge. Sakura's eyes scanned the area anxious, it was a substitution jutsu. Where the hell was this thing?

A barrage of kunai rained down upon Sasuke as he quickly ducked for cover, drawing out his ninja wire he wrapped it around the nearest branch and swung around the tree he had hid behind. Landing on another tree branch, Sasuke thought he would be quick enough.

But he wasn't.

The grass ninja landed the first punch to his face, then to his stomach. A knee to his head and yet another punch to the face. Sasuke flipped into the air and fell face down. Then Sakura saw it, the small bombs attached to the back of the grass ninja. Exploding, she fell forward and Sasuke quickly got up and put his plan into action.

He threw his Shuriken with the ninja wire attached around the closest tree and managed to trap the snake lady against it. With the wires attached at his end, Sasuke performed some quick hand signs.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

The heat erupted from Sasuke and travelled straight down the wires to where the grass ninja was trapped. The instant the flames hit her, she screamed in agony. When the flames finally receded, the grass ninja's body was limp. Held up only by the ninja wire.

Sasuke dropped to his knees, immediately exhausted from the chakra he used. Sakura decided no harm could come to Naruto and jumped down from her branch to assist Sasuke. She had barely begun to feed chakra back into his system when both genin heard the ninja wires snap.

Before anyone could react, the grass ninja had performed two quick hand signs and had both Sakura and Sasuke trapped on the spot.

"Well, such mastery of the Sharingan for one so young. You're truly an Uchiha and you will do nicely. You're just like your brother, except your eyes are even keener than Itachi" The grass ninja spoke in a masculine voice.

Sakura looked up in horror to see the face of the grass ninja melting, and behind it was a snake like eye with grey skin surrounding it.

_Itachi? Sasuke's brother? _Sakura thought as Sasuke bent his body forward in pain.

"What do you want!? Who are you!?" Sasuke yelled.

"My name is Orochimaru but the rest will have to wait until we meet again Sasuke. First you must pass this test and defeat the Sound Ninja who serve me" Orochimaru said.

"If you haven't noticed we need to defeat whoever we come across so those Sound Ninja make no difference to us. Furthermore, you won't cross us again unless you want to suffer badly" Sakura spat, shakily trying to unfreeze herself from his jutsu.

"Ah Sakura, jealously is such an ugly trait on a woman. Don't think for a second I've forgotten about you or what resides within you. And who knows, I may see you when I see Sasuke. But for now, only Sasuke gets my special present!" Orochimaru replied.

Making a hand-sign, Orochimaru's neck shot up to an impossible length before it stretch out and headed speedily for Sasuke. Both ninja were still frozen by the jutsu but Sakura could almost reach her kunai knife.

_I have to do something, he's going to get to Sasuke and give him some freaky present! _Sakura thought as she threw her kunai at Orochimaru's neck.

But it was too late. The snake like male ninja had sunk his teeth into Sasuke's neck, biting him hard. Sakura felt sick as she watched Sasuke fall to his knees, clutching where Orochimaru bit in pain. But she was also satisfied to hear the angry hiss of pain when her kunai found her target.

It was literally her left; Sasuke and Naruto were both incapable of fighting anymore.** "THAT'S IT! KILL THE FREAKY SNAKE MAN! KILL HIM!" **Inner screamed.

"What the hell did you do to him!?" Sakura asked angrily, getting to her feet and drawing her kunai.

"Interesting, the jutsu is still in full effect and she is able to stand and draw a weapon. Her bloodlust is strong; the being within her thirsts also. Similar to the Nine Tailed boy, she possesses great power. But does not realise. It will be interesting to see if she survives without those two, especially against my servants" Orochimaru thought and licked his lips in anticipation.

"Like I said, I left him a parting gift. He will seek me out eventually, craving power. You too have untold powers Sakura Haruno. More than you know. The being within you grows stronger. When Sasuke leaves you may follow and I welcome you with open arms. It will be interesting to see if you survive. But you and your Nine Tailed friend are not important to me now, so I leave you" The snake man finished and literally sank into the tree branch he was standing on.

Sasuke let out the most gut wrenching scream Sakura had ever heard in her life and she was at his side in an instant. Pulling his collar back Sakura could see where Orochimaru had bitten him and along with the bite mark three black comma marks in a circle.

"I-I've seen this before. In the medical book Tsunade gave me. It's a seal, like the Nine Tail Fox seal Naruto has. Only this one is different somehow. I remember now, a Cursed Seal!" Sakura thought and Sasuke screamed again.

Sakura tried to rub his back as some sort of comfort but she was powerless.

"I don't know how to treat it, I don't know the jutsu. I haven't got that far yet!" Sakura yelled to no one in particular but quickly slapped her hand over her mouth.

Orochimaru had gone and left her alone with one teammate knocked out cold and the other in excruciating pain. Not to mention the exams themselves were still going and they were sitting ducks out here in the open.

Sasuke squeezed Sakura's hand tightly and screamed again; eyes completely closed with no idea what was going on around him. Vaguely he could hear Sakura's reassurances that it would be alright, but he was losing that and fast. The pain was a white hot fire running through him. Finally he lost consciousness completely.

Sakura sighed, her eyes filled with worry. She quickly remembered Naruto lying on the tree branch, still unconscious. Retrieving her hand from Sasuke's iron grip, Sakura jumped up through the trees and picked up her blond teammate. She struggled a little under his weight but managed to bring him down next to Sasuke.

The female ninja and only conscious member of Team 7 wanted to scream and cry. She was alone in a forest where ninja like Orochimaru were lurking. She had not forgotten about the Sound Ninja who were sure to track them down as well. Not to mention the horrific prospect that she could one day be joined to Orochimaru, he knew something about her that she did not. Something to do with Inner, and try as she might Sakura was desperate to find out what.

It seemed too much. But then she remembered Tsunade-sama.

_Now is my chance to prove I can do this. I can take of Naruto and Sasuke and defend our scroll from the other ninja out there. I might try herbal remedies for them both, to see if I can get them awake. Even just Naruto. I don't know what to do about Sasuke,_ Sakura thought.

Looking around she spied a space at the bottom of a tree. It was secluded enough that they wouldn't be out in the open but not so hidden that she couldn't see what was going on. Listening to the forest around her, Sakura heard they were not too far away from a stream. She would set traps to protect her teammates while she could collect water and food.

Picking Sasuke up first, Sakura walked towards the tree slowly.

* * *

><p>"So this is where you've been hiding huh?" Anko said to Orochimaru who had morphed himself into a thick tree trunk, a little over an hour after his battle with Team 7.<p>

"Anko, you've come. How nice to see you, it has been a while has it not" Orochimaru spoke cheerfully.

"Skip the pleasantries, you're an S-Class Criminal and it's high time someone took you down. Who better than me, isn't that right sensei?" Anko spat back.

Springing into action immediately, she made to throw a handful of sharp needles at her former sensei. But Orochimaru was too fast and shot his tongue forward, grabbing her hand and forcing the needles out.

Anko was pulled back to the ground by the tongue but before Orochimaru could do anymore she had thrust her arm out in front of herself.

"Striking Shadow Snake!" Anko called out loudly and three snakes shot from her arm and hooked into the tree where Orochimaru was.

"Come out!" Anko yelled and pulled her arm back sharply.

Orochimaru flew out of the tree trunk, thinking quickly the female proctor whip lashed him into a second tree directly behind her.

The snakes quickly withdrew back up into the sleeves of her shirt and Anko turned to Orochimaru. Grabbing his right hand in hers, she took her kunai knife and stuck it in the tree.

"Now I'll just borrow your left hand" Anko said, grabbing Orochimaru's remaining hand and put their hands in a familiar position.

"That hand sign!" Orochimaru said, eyes widening.

"That's right. I can't let you just walk away, so you and I are going to die here right now!" Anko replied.

Closing her eyes the female ninja quickly thought the jutsu "Ninja Art: Twin Snake Sacrifice!" and waited for death to come.

"I'm afraid you will die alone Anko" Orochimaru said from behind her, peeling off the rest of his melted face mask.

It was immediately clear to Anko that the snake ninja in front of her was a substitution as it melted into mush.

"I thought you were one of the elite ninja now? It is awfully naughty of you to be using the forbidden jutsu I taught you" Orochimaru smirked and began advancing towards her.

Frustrated, Anko reached for her kunai in the tree trunk and threw it, but the snake ninja caught it easily between his two fingers. He froze Anko in place like he had done to Sasuke and Sakura.

"Why are you here? Don't tell me you've come to assassinate Lord Hokage!" Anko asked shakily.

"Hmph that old fool? No, not yet. I don't have enough followers for that anyway. But this village is nice, I thought I might take it for myself" Orochimaru declared sadistically.

Without warning Anko collapsed to her knees, clutching painfully at the back of her neck.

"Ah yes, the mark. I put a lovely curse mark like that on a young man just before. Very promising" Orochimaru mused.

"He'll die before he serves you!" Anko shot back, still in pain.

"May be so, odds are 1 in 10. But he may survive, like you did" Orochimaru said indifferently.

"You want him bad huh?" The female proctor glared at her former sensei.

"Ah Anko, jealously is so unbecoming. I told a young lady that just before. She too shows great promise" Orochimaru chuckled.

"So what? Are you using these exams as a poaching ground! Recruiting new followers is that it?" Anko demanded angrily.

"Hmph, I choose not to answer you. I have three candidates in this exam as well; I want to see how they do. Be warned Anko, anything that disrupts my fun the Leaf Village will pay the price" Orochimaru finished before disappearing in a purple flame.

* * *

><p>Sakura placed her hand on Sasuke's forehead only to quickly withdraw it. He had been thrashing about for the last half hour and had finally settled down, but his fever was raging.<p>

Putting her hands to his temples, Sakura felt her chakra flowing into the Uchiha boy and hoped it would quell the fever. After a few minutes of this, she drew her hands away. It had some effect but the fever was still very strong.

Taking a cloth from her ninja pouch, Sakura wet it and gently placed it on Sasuke's forehead. It was much too dark to search for herbs within the forest now. She had brought a small supply with her but they were meant for expected injuries. Cuts, bruises and some could even help with minor poisoning.

Of course nothing had prepared her for Orochimaru and the damage he had done. All she could be thankful for was that neither of her teammates were dead. Apart from Sasuke's fever, both vitals were stable. They had the scroll as well of course, but to Sakura it felt like a burden. A reminder that the exams were still going and they were vulnerable.

She had found the time after setting up a series of traps to protect Naruto and Sasuke, to go to the stream with their canteens plus her own. Filling them to the brim with water she had dashed back, deciding the herbs could wait. She felt very uncomfortable leaving her teammates alone.

They were there.

The three sound ninja.

Hiding in a clump of bushes a few metres away.

They had masked their chakra but when she had left to collect water she had registered their signals.

"Why don't they just make a move already" Sakura wondered.

But she was glad they had not yet, and hoped they wouldn't all night. Her traps were satisfactory but she had little faith in them. Her body begged for sleep, any sort of rest would be welcome. But she couldn't, she was the last one standing.

Sakura turned around, facing towards where she knew the group of Sound Ninja were hiding and drew her kunai. Forcing her eyes to stay open, she glared at them through the bushes. There was no way she was going down without a fight.

"Well, the girl knows we're here. What should we do?" Kin asked her male counterparts.

"We have orders, Orochimaru said not till attack until dawn. And the Uchiha boy is our target" Dosu replied.

"But if the other two get in our way we can still kill them, right?" Zaku wondered aloud.

"Hmph, of course. Though it only looks like we have the girl to worry about and she can't be much trouble" Dosu chuckled.

Throughout the night Sakura caught herself falling asleep but quickly awoke and tried to stay alert. By the time dawn had broken, she was completely exhausted. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, Sakura checked on her teammates for the hundredth time. Naruto was still out cold, but his vitals were stabilised. Sasuke shuddered a little in his state but his fever had reduced a little more.

The bushes rustled behind her and Sakura was on her feet in a flash, kunai in hand. Expecting to see the Sound Ninja, she wasn't the least bit ready for a fight. It had to be now or never. They weren't going to stay hidden for long.

What appeared was not an enemy ninja, but a squirrel. Sakura relaxed a little but not for long, and hurled her kunai at the squirrel. Frightened, the small animal scurried back into the forest. On its back was what Sakura thought, a paper bomb.

"**These Sound Ninja are crafty, best to be on our guard" **Inner said in an oddly serious voice but Sakura agreed nonetheless

The female ninja couldn't forget what Orochimaru had said, that he knew something about her Inner and that she had great power. That Inner was a demon. Zabuza had also remarked on her great potential. Did he know about Inner as well?

Being so preoccupied with her guard on Sasuke and Naruto, Sakura had not had time to contemplate this notion further. Added to that, this was the first appearance Inner had made since the dealings with Orochimaru.

"Your sight is impressive. We thought for sure you'd be blown to smithereens by that squirrel" A voice called out across the clearing.

Sakura stiffened, it was them. They'd finally decided to make a move. Sure enough the man with the bandages had called out to her, his two teammates by his side.

"Hmph, I was wondering when you cowards would get out of those bushes" Sakura smirked, twirling her kunai knife.

"Cocky, that's real cute sweetheart" Zaku said arrogantly and Sakura's eyes narrowed at the false endearment.

"Wake Sasuke Uchiha up. We wish to fight him" Dosu the ninja with the bandages instructed.

Sakura stood firm. "I'm not waking Sasuke up for you jerks to fight him when he can't defend himself. Servants of Orochimaru I'm guessing huh? What's that gutless snake weirdo want now?" she asked defiantly.

"I'm not going to let you talk to us like that. First I'll kill you, then I'll kill Sasuke" Zaku said angrily.

"**Right Sakura, it's now or never. Let's take these Sound freaks down and protect this team!" **Inner yelled triumphantly, back to her usual verve.

"Alright Inner! I don't know what Orochimaru thinks about you or anyone else. But you've always been there for me. Together we've got this!" Sakura thought as she gripped her kunai in front of her.

"That's big talk from someone standing all the way over there. You want to fight? Well let's go!" Sakura declared.


	21. Chunin Exams Part 9

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>A droplet of sweat fell from Sakura's brow and dripped down her cheek, she wiped it away quickly. Her eyes remained fixed on the three Sound ninja in front of her.<p>

_Well, who is it going to be? Which one of them is coming first? _ Sakura thought, her mind going into overdrive.

There wasn't time to prolong this fight, with Sasuke and Naruto's conditions unpredictable Sakura needed to finish it and fast. It was also practical to consider her safety and wellbeing. As the only conscious member of Team 7 left she was all Sasuke and Naruto could depend on. If she were to sustain an injury or even die during this fight, both her teammates would be completely unprotected and exposed.

She was glad now for the trap she had set earlier, as soon as she had managed to lay Sasuke and Naruto under the cover of the large tree roots she had set them. Sakura unconsciously bit her lip; the Sound ninja were close to tripping it. It was not a good trap; she hadn't had much experience in setting high level traps.

The goal was for it to work as a diversionary tactic and not as an effective means of attack. That would all come down to her; the fighting would clearly be close combat. But if all three came at once, what chance did she stand alone?

_They'll have no hesitation in pushing me past to get to Sasuke and Naruto. I can't let them!_

"I guess I'll take you down first then" Zaku declared, jumping down from the rock he was perched on.

"**Right, he's first then. If they come one by one we can hold them off. But how long will that last?" **Inner wondered solemnly.

"Wait Zaku. There is something suspicious about this! Ah, no wonder she threw the kunai at our squirrel. This patch of earth, it's been dug up and this type of grass does not grow in this part of the forest!" Dosu said, shuffling forward to examine the grass.

"If you're going to set a trap, you shouldn't make it so obvious. You're a joke! Now we kill you and the boy!" Zaku declared.

The Sound Ninja sprung forward, Sakura smirked. It was time. Cutting a piece of ninja wire attached to a kunai unseen by anyone but herself, a huge log swung out from the trees above.

"A trap set from above? Nice try little girl!" Dosu yelled and broke through the log. All three were now headed straight for her.

The female sound ninja was the first to go; a swift kick from Sakura had her grabbing at her stomach in pain. Extending her chakra infused hand, Zaku took the full force of Sakura's strong punch to the face. Spinning around, she then prevented Dosu from going anywhere near Sasuke with a sharp high kick to his jaw.

Although clearly suffering to a degree from Sakura's defences, all three ninja landed effortlessly on their feet.

"So, she's not altogether useless then. Good, the ones who have a bit of fight in them are the most fun to crush" Zaku smirked, wiping his bloody lip.

Sakura cracked her knuckles in response. He was getting on her nerves, they all were. She immediately stiffened; Sasuke had let out a low groan. Sakura swore she could feel the heat from his fever, he was getting worse. Her chakra had no effect on lowering it and she doubted the herbal remedy would fare much better. She needed to get back to him.

"Now, now Zaku let's not be too hasty. This little girl clearly does not see the full state of her situation. It is only her standing between us and Sasuke. She cannot hold off all three of us. It is time for you to surrender, three against one and it's not in your favour" Dosu remarked.

"Three against one? I think not! Now it is two against three!" A voice called out across the clearing and without warning a familiar green jumpsuit had blocked Sakura's line of vision.

"Lee? What are you doing here?" Sakura asked, perplexed.

"I will always arrive, anytime or anywhere you are in trouble Sakura!" Lee declared, smiling at her over his shoulder.

_What is Lee thinking, these guys seem mild now but who knows what they have up their sleeves! _

Despite her troubling thoughts, Sakura gave Lee the most grateful smile she could manage. But she was quick to anxiously look back at Sasuke who had begun to move around, his fever rising to new heights. Nonetheless she stood next to Lee, determined. With another person on her side, the fight would be over quicker and she could attend to her teammates.

"Who are you then?" Dosu asked, speaking for the first time since Lee had arrived.

"I am the Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village! My name is Rock Lee!" The bushy brow boy declared proudly.

"**Handsome Devil? Really?" **Inner rolled her eyes at the title.

"Lee, I am grateful you would come to my aid but we are enemies in this test. I refuse to hand over our scroll or let you take it from me" Sakura stated calmly.

"Sakura! I do not wish to take anything from you! I vowed to protect you until I die and so I shall!" Lee replied in shock.

"I appreciate it. I am going to fight with you to protect my teammates and take these creeps down!" Sakura decided.

_WITH ME! SHE'S GOING TO FIGHT WITH ME! OF COURSE I WILL SEE NO HARM COMES TO HER, BUT GAI-SENSEI DID YOU HEAR HER? SHE ACCEPTED IT! JUST ONE MORE STEP CLOSER TO HER HEART! _Rock Lee thought, victoriously.

"Well, it seems we need to change game tactics. Zaku, Sasuke is yours to kill. Kin, your opponent is the girl. Kill her for her insolence. I'll take care of the bushy eye brow kid" Dosu declared, pulling back the sleeve on his shirt to reveal a metal contraption on his arm.

"Lee, are you sure you'll be okay? Please tell me if you need my assistance. I don't know how I will do but please don't let them get to my teammates" Sakura asked quietly.

"You do not need to worry, they will not beat me. You will fight well I am sure! I will protect you and honour your wishes I promise!" Lee declared loudly.

"Right, fight well!" Sakura replied, and quickly turned her attention to Kin on the opposite end of the clearing.

"I can't believe I have to fight you. I'd much rather be the one to do away with your precious Sasuke" Kin sneered.

"Don't worry I'll make sure to end this quickly" Sakura spat back, pulling on her gloves.

Kin ran forward, kunai drawn. Her slashes were fast but haphazard, designed to create fatal wounds that would leave her opponent to bleed out. Sakura dodged the strikes at first but once she was able to establish where Kin was weakest she drew her own kunai.

Sakura's strikes were more precise, she knew if she hit any of the kill points on Kin's body it would all be over. A slash to the jugular would be fatal, giving approximately four minutes for Kin to bleed out completely. Killing her was not something that had crossed Sakura's mind until now. Being a ninja meant that it was a reality, to have to kill an enemy. But up until now everything had be focused on her own life preservation. To take a life, was that something she could live with?

"Keep your head in this fight little girl" Kin taunted as one of her kunai slashed a little too close to Sakura's neck.

Reacting immediately, Sakura snatched Kin's wrist and forced the kunai out of her hand and onto the ground. Twisting her wrist upwards like Tsunade had taught her, Sakura heard the crack of bone and the noises of pain from Kin. The wrist was fractured or broken altogether; the pink haired teen wasn't sure which it was. But it worked; Kin all but screamed in pain and stumbled back. Sakura took this momentary lapse to check on Lee.

He had used some sort of jutsu, one Sakura had never seen before. The bandages that were covering his arms had come undone. The leader of the Sound Ninja, Dosu was heading for a huge ground collision. That was until Zaku manipulated a huge pile of dirt to cushion his fall. Lee's expression was one of horror; clearly he had not recovered from that powerful jutsu he had just used. Dosu was coming for him with a jutsu of his own.

_I have to help Lee! He won't last much longer! _

Sakura made a move towards Lee but suddenly felt herself being tugged backwards by her hair. It was Kin, nursing a broken wrist, her other hand grabbing a fist full of Sakura's pink tresses.

"Didn't think you were going to get out of this so easy did you? I was going to kill you quickly but I need to pay you back for what you did to my wrist, so it's going to be a slow painful death" Kin said in a sickly sweet voice.

Sakura cursed herself for turning her back on a battle, how many times had Tsunade drilled that into her mind? Never turn you back on an opponent until you can be one hundred percent sure they are either dead or incapacitated. Now she was on her knees as Kin reefed her hair back violently and Sakura grunted in pain.

She could hear Lee's groans of pain as well. He was in trouble and not one of them could do anything to prevent Zaku from going for Sasuke and killing him. Sakura dug her fingers into the dirt; she needed to think of a way out. Using her peripheral vision she could see Kin using her injured wrist to reach for a kunai knife in her ninja pouch as Sakura had thrown her other one. The female sound ninja hissed in pain and Sakura could feel Kin's grip on her hair loosening.

"**It's now or never Sakura! Grab her hand and flip her over your body! When she hits the ground she'll be in pain and open. Take that chance, kill her!"** Inner instructed.

_Kill her? Would I really do such a thing? Zaku is going to make his move soon, while Lee is down and so am I. I have to do this, for my teammates!_

Following Inner's guidance, Sakura reached up and latched onto Kin's hand that was in her hair. With all the strength she could muster, the pink haired teen pulled hard. Kin was jerked upward and over Sakura's kneeling form. She screamed in pain as her back hit the ground. Sakura quickly withdrew her kunai and took aim at Kin's jugular.

"ZAKU! DOSU!" Kin's shrill screams of terror filled the air.

Out of her peripheral vision Sakura could see neither Sound Ninja made a move to help their fallen teammate.

Because Lee was down, and they were headed straight for the tree where Sasuke and Naruto were.

Thinking on her feet, Sakura stabbed her kunai into Kin's leg making it impossible for her to get up. Kin screamed from the pain but the pink haired teen was already racing across the clearing, chakra pumping through her legs. She had to get to Sasuke and Naruto before the other Sound Ninja did.

"These guys are scary! I vote we leave now!" Choji said nervously.

Concealed behind a clump of bushes, Ino and her teammates had been watching the fight between Lee, Sakura and the Sound Ninja evolve. Ino watched Sakura with awe, when did her rival get so strong?

"Sasuke and Naruto are completely out of it, and with Lee not looking too good it's just going to be Sakura on her own against those guys. If she even makes it across the clearing before them" Shikamaru said quietly.

Ino remained silent and staring, Shikarmaru turned to her. "Well Ino, what do you want to do about this?" he asked.

"Why are you asking me? What am I supposed to do about it?" Ino snapped back.

"She's done well so far, she's definitely stronger than I remember her from the academy. But against the two of them she won't last much longer. You and her were friends once right? Are you going to let this happen to her?" Shikamaru demanded.

_M-me go out there? I'd just end up getting myself killed? What good would that do anybody? _Ino thought.

Sakura didn't think she had made it back in time. But when Zaku had punched her so hard that she felt her bones crack against the tree Sasuke and Naruto were under, she knew she had.

Heaving herself up from the ground, Sakura coughed and felt blood trickle out of her mouth. She could barely take a step forward but she had to. She had to gather her chakra to her leg and kick Zaku hard in the mouth. Because it was literally her that stood between Naruto and Sasuke's death.

"You can't last! You might have disabled Kin but that's nothing to brag about. We will kill you here and now" Dosu said, his sleeve lifted. He was ready to use the same sound inducing contraption that had rendered Lee unconscious with a bleeding ear.

"NO!" Sakura yelled and charged for Dosu, but before she could even lay an attack on him she had to fall back as she saw Zaku approaching from the left hand side. They had her cornered; they knew she wouldn't attack one of them when the other could attack her teammates. They were going to use that knowledge to kill her.

She felt it, the familiar dizziness of chakra depletion. At a time like this it was fatal, but somehow Sakura was proud her chakra had lasted this long. The Sound Ninja advanced towards her and Sakura got up slowly but it wasn't enough. Zaku punched her again and her head hit the ground hard. Slightly concussed and out of chakra, Sakura could only watch in horror as they walked passed her to Sasuke.

"**STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" **Inner roared. Sakura found it odd that the words Inner had spoken were coming out of her mouth.

She also found it strange that something was pulling her to her feet. Like a puppet, Sakura could feel herself being propelled towards the Sound Ninja. In a flash she was in front of them. The speed was inhumane.

"**I SAID STAY AWAY!" **Inner bellowed again and Sakura echoed it at the top of her voice. She punched both ninja with a strength that was completely foreign to her. Zaku and Dosu's bodies flew through the air and landed in a crumpled heap in the middle of the clearing.

Ino's team watched wide eyed in horror. The immense overpowering strength Sakura had felt before was completely gone. Although the hit they had taken was bad, Zaku and Dosu were getting up slowly.

Sakura was on her knees. She had no strength left in her at all. Inner had done something, a last resort. But it was useless. Sakura could feel her eyes closing; she wanted to sleep so badly. Zaku and Dosu were injured from her attack which the pink haired girl was slightly pleased about.

_My death will be painful. They'll make me pay for what I did_.

Sakura decided she could afford herself one last look at her teammates. Something that would haunt her in the afterlife. Even with all that she had learnt, she still needed more to defeat the Sound Ninja and she just didn't have it. Moving her gaze towards Sasuke, Sakura's sharp eyes noticed something. Purple chakra, seeping out from the curse mark on his neck.

_Is Sasuke dying too? Maybe I'll see him later. Although I don't know where I'm going. Maybe I'll see father too, _she thought, too exhausted to cry or get upset.

"You've given us enough trouble! I'm going to make sure your blood spills all over this forest floor!" Zaku yelled.

"Not so fast!" A voice called out and three figures blocked the space between Sakura and Zaku.

The pink haired teen tilted her head up slightly to see a familiar long blonde ponytail.

"Ino?" 

* * *

><p>"Hmph Sakura! Again, showing off in front of Sasuke and trying to get all the credit!" Ino declared haughtily.<p>

Dosu fixed Choji with an angry glare. _These leaf ninja keep interfering in things that don't concern them_, he thought.

"Are you guys insane? These ninja are scary!" Choji said fearfully to his teammates.

"Don't look at me, its Ino's idea. We can't let her fight on her own!" Shikamaru snapped back.

"Sorry to drag you with me, but it's all for one and one for all on this squad!" Ino said and Shikamaru nodded.

"AH! SERIOUSLY! What teamwork is this!? Suicide more like!" Choji yelled.

"The fatso has the right idea, quit while you're ahead" Zaku smirked.

Choji twitched. "You want to try saying that one again?" he asked, fists clenched.

"I said you're smart to leave while you still can, fatty"

It was a little under a minute before Choji completely blew his top.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING FAT!? I'M JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY OKAY! CHUBBIES FOR LIFE!" He screamed, reminding Sakura of Naruto.

"IT'S A FIGHT TO THE DEATH BETWEEN LEAF AND SOUND!" Choji declared further, eyes burning with hate and determination.

_Great, Choji has totally lost it. We're in with a shot, _Ino thought happily.

Zaku sighed in frustration; the mission of his squad was to get Sasuke. Not battle these clowns.

Sakura could feel a little of her strength returning, she made a move to stand to assist Ino's team but the blonde girl had already pushed her back down gently.

"Sakura your teammates are down. Look after them. We have this covered" Ino instructed.

The female member of Team 7 obeyed without argument and slowly moved herself back towards Sasuke and Naruto. The purple chakra was now flowing strongly from Sasuke's curse mark, the aura it produced made Sakura fearful to try and touch it. Doing a quick vital check, Sakura could see both her teammates were stable.

Tiredly she drew another kunai and placed it in front of herself. From her position she could see Kin was still alive and breathing but unable to move. That was good. Ino's team stood a chance with three on two.

"Alright! Take it away Choji!" Ino ordered.

"With pleasure! Expansion Jutsu and Tai Jutsu creates Human Boulder Jutsu!" Choji yelled, expanding to twice his size and substituting his legs, arms and head with a steady chakra flow before rolling himself rapidly towards Zaku.

"So what am I supposed to just laugh to death? Slicing Sound Wave!" Zaku replied and pushed his hands forward creating a fast air stream.

Sakura watched as Choji's Human Boulder Jutsu pushed against the Sound Ninja's air stream, for a while it seemed as though Choji's jutsu was useless. But then the human boulder jumped over Zaku's air stream and into the air.

_That thing is spinning so fast! I haven't got a chance using my jutsu and going supersonic would mean my arms could get ripped off! _Zaku thought in horror.

Noticing his teammate wasn't moving, Dosu quickly made a run for him. But he was stopped instantly by Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Justu; paralysed Dosu was completely unable to move.

"Look out below!" Choji yelled, as his Human Boulder Jutsu came hurtling to the ground. Zaku quickly manoeuvred out of the way as Choji hit the ground hard, his jutsu dissipating.

"Man I don't feel so good" Choji said, covering his mouth and looking as though he was going to be sick.

"Choji what the hell!" Ino yelled angrily.

"No, my shadow jutsu!" Shikamaru yelled as his Shadow Possession jutsu retracted.

_These two guys on their own, they're way stronger than all three of us put together. Although it's more like two now, with Choji sick_, Ino thought.

"You didn't really think you could beat us did you? Ninja like you from a second rate village like this. We don't care about the test or these scrolls. Our goal is to kill Sasuke Uchiha" Dosu said.

"Well I guess that makes your village third rate huh?" A voice called from the tree tops, it was that Neji Hyuga guy and his female teammate.

_I was half expecting Lee's team to show up earlier_, Sakura thought.

"It looks to me like one of you used our teammate as a punching bag! No one gets away with that!" Neji yelled, veins erupting around his face and near his eyes which were wide.

Dosu watched Neji's eyes; they were not simply looking at him. They were looking through him.

"You ready Tenten, full power!" Neji instructed but suddenly he stiffened.

Everyone had turned their attention to what Sakura had been staring fearfully at. Sasuke was up and conscious. Surrounded by a huge wall of the purple chakra that was coming from the cursed mark on his back. The left hand side of his body looked as though it was on fire. Once the red marks died down, Sakura could see black marks covering his pale skin. Sasuke's eyes were a bright red, the Sharingan activated.

"Sakura, who did this to you?" Sasuke asked calmly.

The female member of Team 7 was too horrified to respond. This wasn't Sasuke at all, the marks and that terrifying low voice that hinted at death and pain. It reminded Sakura of Orochimaru. This was his work.

"You don't need to worry; this is just the power flowing through me. I never felt better and this was a gift from him. To walk the path that I do means I must have power, no matter the cost" Sasuke replied.

Sakura still didn't say a word. A gift? That Orochimaru guy was a creep and the most evil man Sakura had ever encountered. What exactly had happened to her teammate?

"I will ask you again. Tell me which one of these people did this to you Sakura" Sasuke asked in a deadly voice.

"That would be me" Zaku said proudly.

Sasuke snapped his attention to the Sound Ninja immediately. Realising the danger of the situation, Ino and her team quickly returned to the bushes so as not to be caught in the crossfire.

Dosu stared at Sasuke. The chakra the boy was producing, it changed the whole plan. They couldn't fight that, he was much too strong and too powerful. But Zaku apparently hadn't caught on. He lifted his arms outwards and aimed a Sonic Air Blast right at Sasuke.

When the air cleared, Sasuke was nowhere to be found. Sakura looked around fearfully; she had to put a stop to this fight. That cursed mark was taking over.

"Fire Style! Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Sasuke yelled and shot fireballs towards Zaku.

"Hmph yeah right" Zaku said and attempted to fight back with another air style attack. Shuriken quickly appeared instead of the flames and tore into Zaku's flesh.

Before Sakura could even blink, Sasuke was behind Zaku in an instant. One foot was on his back and he held both of Zaku's arms behind him.

"These arms of yours, you seem to be very attached to them" Sasuke said, eyes wide and smiling sadistically as he pulled on the joints connecting Zaku's arms to his body.

Sakura could hear each of the joints popping as Sasuke ripped Zaku's arms from his body.

_I have to do something! I have to stop him!_

"Sasuke stop! This isn't you! What are you doing!?" Sakura yelled and ran forward, intent on stopping her teammate.

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY!" Sasuke roared and looked at Sakura murderously before shoving her onto the ground.

Sakura hissed in pain as her body connected with the ground again. She looked up at Sasuke and could feel the tears forming in her eyes. Everything hurt so much and the boy standing in front of her was not her teammate or friend. He was evil.

Sasuke stopped when he realised what he had done. He had pushed her, when she was already so hurt and bruised and damaged from the fights she had been in before he had awoken. She was upset and hurt and he pushed her. How could he push her? She was scared of him; her eyes told him as much. How could he ever make her scared of him?

As quickly as it had erupted, the murderous intent was gone. The black markings on his body began to recede and Sasuke sank to his knees. Once he had regained a little strength, Sasuke made a move towards Sakura but Sakura shuffled back a little.

"Please don't. I'm sorry Sakura. I didn't mean to hurt you, I'd never hurt you I promise. I don't know what this is but don't look at me like that. Like I'm a monster" Sasuke said quietly.

Sakura noticed the flames were leaving his body and the dark chakra from before was gone, she moved toward her teammates slowly. Putting a hand on his back, Sakura rubbed soothing circles and Sasuke rested his head in the crook of her neck breathing deeply.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what this is. What I am" Sasuke muttered against Sakura's neck, rubbing gently on the newly forming bruise on her arm.

"It's okay Sasuke" Sakura replied, finding her voice at last.

Her mind was jumbled, and she was tired oh so very tired but Sasuke needed her now to get through this, Sakura was very glad he and Naruto were safe.

"You are strong Sasuke Uchiha. Much stronger than we could have imagined. We will leave you our scroll in exchange for you letting us go" Dosu said, picking up his teammates and placing their scroll on the ground.

Everyone watched as they departed, Sakura felt her strength give way as she bent forward a little and let out raspy short breaths. Sasuke wrapped his arm around her back but Sakura flinched and he slowly withdrew it and rubbed her arm gently instead.

"I had no idea that the Uchiha clan had such powerful chakra" Neji muttered.

Ino had gone to look after Lee and Shikamaru and Choji decided that they were going to try and wake Naruto.

Sasuke looked at Sakura and wondered how much she must have endured to protect him and Naruto and hated himself for not being there to protect her. He would never forgive himself for hurting her.

_Just what am I now?_

* * *

><p>Hi guys!<p>

Sorry I'm a day late uploading but I had internet troubles. But anyway here is Part 9 of the Chunin Exams. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review with any comments you may have (good or bad) ^^


	22. Chunin Exams Part 10

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>"Ah, Sakura's in danger. Don't worry Sakura I'll protect you, you can count on me" Naruto muttered, a red blush staining his cheeks as he rolled over in his sleep happily.<p>

"Ugh, what a pain waking him up is going to be" Shikamaru sighed as he and Choji examined Naruto.

"I can kick him if you want?" Choji offered happily.

Sasuke and Sakura sat together quietly, waiting for Naruto to wake up. Sasuke had asked Sakura not to mention the cursed mark and Sakura had agreed. Sasuke had calmed down a bit but he was still quite weak as was Sakura. Team 7 needed time to rest and to recover.

Sakura let out a quiet sigh and Sasuke looked at her quickly. "Are you okay? Does something hurt?" he demanded.

"No I'm fine" Sakura lied.

Everything hurt after her fight with Zaku and Dosu. Not to mention the bruise Sasuke had caused was throbbing like crazy. Sasuke clearly felt awful for what he had done to her under the effects of the cursed mark. If she even flinched, Sasuke was drawn to her in an instant. Apparently his overprotective side had made an appearance; the Uchiha boy had made it clear to her that he would be there to protect her until she was able to heal herself.

Honestly, she was a little frustrated by these actions already but Sakura had the sense not to push it. She supposed this was his way of apologising even further for what had happened, Sakura just hoped it didn't become suffocating. She didn't want Sasuke treating her any different just because she was injured, they were all injured.

She knew if they could find somewhere to rest and recover, Sakura could heal her injuries and be able to help her team find an Earth Scroll and make it to the tower in the centre of the forest in time.

The Sound Ninja happened to have been carrying a Heaven Scroll as well so it was less than useless to Team 7. Sakura had already made up her mind about what she wanted to do with the Sound scroll.

Truthfully, she just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before Orochimaru had come and bitten Sasuke. But clearly that wasn't going to be the case.

"Hey! What about this" Choji asked as he waved a huge stick in Shikamaru's face.

"Hmph, fine but you have to be the one to hit him" Shikamaru decided, not wanting to get any more involved than he already was.

"GAHHHHHHHH!" Naruto yelled loudly and shot up. A huge lump was now forming on the top of his head from where Choji had hit him.

The loud boy quickly scanned his surroundings, he saw Sasuke and Sakura sitting together both looking very battered and bruised and that blonde Yamanaka girl carrying the bushy brow kid. Suddenly Naruto stiffened.

_The grass ninja!_

"EVERYBODY HIDE! That freaky snake lady, where could she be hiding!?" Naruto yelled out across the clearing.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances, so he had finally woken up. Choji began poking the lump on Naruto's head with the stick he had used to deliver it.

"You're such a pain" Shikamaru said, annoyed at Naruto's outburst.

Naruto ignored him and instead zeroed in on his teammates. Sasuke looked the same as he had from the fight with the snake lady. But Sakura, whose skin had not received a single scratch, was battered, bloody and bruised.

"SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto yelled out as he sprinted towards his teammates.

"What is it Naruto?" Sakura asked, preparing herself for his onslaught of questions.

"Y-you're arms and face and legs. They're all bruised and bloody. W-what happened?" Naruto wondered softly as he reached out to touch the bruise that Sasuke had caused.

Before he could even get close, Sasuke had snatched his hand away and was glaring at him.

"Don't touch her dobe, she's hurt!" he snapped at Naruto.

"Teme! I'm just trying to see if she's okay sheesh. What's wrong with you!?" Naruto replied angrily.

"Nothing, just don't touch her" Sasuke seethed.

"She's my teammate, I can check to see if she's okay!" Naruto retaliated.

"Both of you stop it. Don't worry Naruto, I fell down an embankment when I went looking for herbs to try and help you and Sasuke. There was a bush full of thorns. I fell into it and got all cut up" Sakura explained, frustrated.

"Oh okay Sakura-chan. That still doesn't explain the teme over here with his bad attitude. Unless you too are finally-" Naruto trailed off.

Sasuke shot him a dirty look and Naruto immediately shut up to the confusion and annoyance of Sakura. She was tired of this over protective routine already.

"So what's with you guys, why are you here? What happened?" Naruto asked Shikamaru and Choji.

"Explaining this to you is going to be such a drag" Shikamaru sighed.

"There was an altercation with some ninja. Everyone here showed up to help" Sakura said quietly.

_Sakura's not making a huge deal out of this at all. It's good of her to do that for her teammates_, Ino thought as she overheard the conversation.

Lee was heavier than she expected and she began to struggle a little. Suddenly a girl with two buns on top of her head appeared in front of her.

"I can take it from here Ino" the girl said, her arms outstretched. Ino deliberated for a moment but handed the green spandex boy over.

"ALRIGHT LEE THAT'S ENOUGH! SNAP OUT OF IT! PULL IT TOGETHER OKAY?" Tenten yelled angrily and shook Lee by the shoulders hard.

Lee flopped unceremoniously on the ground and peered up at his teammate. "Tenten, what are you doing here?" he asked, confused and exhausted.

"I'm here to help you out. What do you think?" Tenten replied.

"Those Sound Ninja, where are they?" Lee asked as his eyes wandered over to Sakura and Team 7, he swallowed back a gasp of horror at the pink haired girl's appearance.

"Sasuke took care of them, don't worry Lee. But why did you get mixed up in all of that?" Tenten pressed, annoyed.

"Sakura, she was in trouble. I had to do something to help her" Lee replied, despondent at the thought of Sasuke being able to take care of the Sound Ninja.

"That was pretty damn stupid don't you think!?" Tenten reprimanded. Lee stayed quiet; he didn't really have an argument for that.

"AH-HA! I thought that it was you I saw Bushy Brows!" Naruto teased and ran over to make fun of Lee.

"Naruto! You had better not be saying anything bad about Lee!" Sakura stalked over and punched Naruto hard.

_Man what happened while I was asleep, everything is opposite now_, Naruto thought as he lay on his back completely dazed.

"Lee, I would like to say thank you for helping me against those ninja. You didn't have to but you did so anyway. I am sorry I wasn't strong enough to get back to help you in time, and I am sorry you got hurt because of me. But you have taught me a few things about strength, just from your actions today. I will remember these and try to become better" Sakura said and gave the green spandex boy a smile.

"Thank you Sakura, but I guess my efforts alone were not good enough. Sasuke you are as good as your reputation, to chase off those ninja. Not like me, I just got beaten" Lee said sadly.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, did that Lee guy really get beaten or was he just looking for sympathy? He was out cold when Sasuke had woken up, so he must have.

_If he didn't get beaten, Sakura wouldn't look the way she is now. If he had got beaten up that badly, it's a miracle Sakura even survived. Lee is much stronger than her and yet she's standing whereas he wasn't. What happened while I was out? _

With those thoughts in mind, Sasuke subconsciously moved closer to Sakura and eyed Lee carefully.

"The Lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice Sakura, when we meet again I will have become a stronger ninja I promise" Lee said solemnly.

"Yes, when we meet again I will be stronger as well" Sakura affirmed. Reaching into her ninja pouch Sakura retrieved the Heaven scroll the Sound Ninja had left on the ground.

"Lee, I would like to offer this scroll to you and your team. As a thank you for helping me protect my teammates" Sakura said and extended the scroll towards Lee.

Sasuke and Naruto looked surprised at Sakura's suggestion but then quickly remembered that they already possessed a Heaven scroll and had no need for a second one. Lee and Tenten looked confused and reluctant to take it.

"Hn. Take it. Like Sakura said, we appreciate what you did for us, and that'll make us even" Sasuke said, a little more forcefully.

"That won't be necessary Uchiha" The Hyuga boy appeared next to his teammates after observing the exchange from up in the trees.

"Hn. Hyuga, nice to see you again" Sasuke smirked, clearly not meaning it.

"Thank you for the offer Sakura but we are a strong team of three and our sensei would not be pleased with us if he found out that we were taking charity scrolls from Kakashi's squad" Neji said, monotone and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Neji is right Sakura, but thank you! I wish you and your team best of luck and we will see you at the tower!" Lee exclaimed, in a better mood. Tenten nodded and with that Gai's team disappeared.

"I don't like him" Sasuke stated, annoyed. Sakura rolled her eyes and caught Ino's eye. Getting up from the ground, Naruto made his way over to his teammates.

"What are we going to do with that extra Heaven scroll?" Naruto asked and rubbed the lump on his head.

"It's too dangerous for us to exchange it or use it as bait with other ninja. We need to recover from our injuries" Sasuke said.

"I'm going to offer it to Ino's team. They didn't have to step in and help but they did. I expected less from her and she proved me wrong. So I think it's there's, they'll take it. They sustained injuries trying to help me and wasted valuable test time" Sakura said before calmly walking over to Ino.

Neither Naruto nor Sasuke argued and both watched their teammate walk towards her long term rival.

"Is Sakura-chan alright? What happened to her?" Naruto asked Sasuke, concern for his female teammate etched in his voice.

"I don't know" Sasuke replied quietly.

"Hey Ino" Sakura called out.

"Hm, oh it's you Forehead. Come to thank me for all my hard work saving your butt" Ino replied.

"Hmph, yeah right. But I came to give you and your team something as a thank you for helping me protect my teammates" Sakura said and tossed the Heaven Scroll at Ino who caught it.

"A scroll?"

"Yeah, a Heaven one. We don't need it which tells you more than you need to know. But it's yours. We're even, you helped me out and now I've helped you out" Sakura reasoned.

Ino smirked and moved closer to Sakura. "Alright, we'll take it Forehead but don't you think this means I'm bowing out and giving Sasuke all to you" she hissed.

"I'm going to tell you again. We're not fighting over Sasuke cause I'm not interested in him like that anymore" Sakura spat, her diplomacy gone.

"Whatever. I saw him getting all close with you after the fight and even now he has his eyes on you constantly. He's protective of you, all because you managed to play the sympathy card and let him push you" Ino said angrily.

"Let him push me? I was trying to stop him ripping that Sound ninja's arm off. Didn't you see that he wasn't himself?" Sakura hurled back.

"No I've noticed, before this exam. The way he's looking at you now. It's changed since the academy. I put it down to his exposure to you and your wicked conniving ways Forehead. It's not over" Ino declared and disappeared into the forest with her teammates.

"**Stupid Ino-pig!" **Inner yelled and Sakura smiled, it was good to have Inner back. Now if only she could figure out what Inner did in that fight?

"Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme says we should head towards this river. We can find fish and you can heal yourself!" Naruto called out happily.

"Naruto you idiot why would you yell that? Do you want to get attacked again!?" Sasuke scoffed and hit the blonde boy over the head.

Sakura smiled, she was glad to have her teammates alive and well again.

* * *

><p>"Yes! Time to eat! Shadow Clone Fishing Jutsu!" Naruto yelled as he and a handful of his clones jumped into the water.<p>

Sasuke stood perched at the edge of the river, kunai in hand and ready to capture the fish that Naruto would scare out of the water. Three fish broke to the surface and in a matter of seconds Sasuke's kunai had pinned them to the nearest tree. The fish flapped around before going lifeless as Naruto emerged from the river breathing heavily.

"Seriously is that all you can do? Three? You need to go and do it again. I could eat three fish myself" Sasuke huffed.

"Well if you think it's so easy, why don't you get wet and I'll stand on the shore" Naruto argued back.

"Hey do you guys need a hand?" Sakura asked, walking over from the team's makeshift camp.

Most of the cuts and bruises were healed almost completely; Sakura had used her chakra and Tsunade's ointment to heal herself to the best of her abilities. But what had helped the most was being able to get a full night's sleep with Sasuke and Naruto insisting they would split the watches between themselves. Sakura was so tired she didn't have the energy to argue, but she awoke feeling re-energized and refreshed.

"We wouldn't if Naruto would just scare more fish out himself" Sasuke grumbled.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto threatened from the water.

"Let me have a go. That water looks refreshing and I need to feel clean somehow" Sakura offered, trying to stop the arguing. She definitely didn't miss that.

"Sakura, are you sure you can handle it?" Sasuke asked, genuine concern seeping into his voice. The only bruise that had refused to heal was the one he had left on his teammate.

_A constant reminder of how badly I screwed up_, Sasuke thought.

"Really Sasuke I'm fine. Besides that water looks way too good to pass up" Sakura reasoned and began to strip off.

Sasuke could feel his face heating up as his teammate undressed down to her spandex ninja pants and a singlet. Naruto grinned like an idiot, clearly admiring the view. Sasuke noticed immediately and flung a kunai straight for his head in anger.

"YAH! Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he dodged the kunai.

"Well stop looking at her, you pervert" Sasuke countered, trying to control the jealous thoughts in his head which demanded that he be the only one to see Sakura undress.

"Stupid brain" Sasuke muttered, his teenage hormones getting the best of him.

"What was that Sasuke?" Sakura asked mildly.

"Hn. Nothing, are you getting those fish or not?" Sasuke growled.

_At least he seems to be returning to his normal self, even though it's annoying, _Sakura thought as she dived into the river letting the cool water wash over her.

Swimming right to the bottom Sakura channeled chakra into her fist and punched the riverbed. Not hard enough so that it would cause major damage and draw attention to her team. But it was enough to scare three more fish out of some dark crevices and up to the surface. Sasuke threw his kunai and Team 7 had a total of 6 fish.

"Sasuke, I made that fire. I just need you to light it okay" Sakura said, getting out of the water along with Naruto.

"Okay, the quicker I light it the quicker you and the dobe can get dry. Then we need to talk strategy" Sasuke said, gathering up the fish and trying not to steal glances at Sakura who was wringing out her long hair.

"Cook the fish and then put the fire out. Don't worry about us; it's easier to dry off because the sun is out. The smell of cooking food is bound to draw animals and other ninja to us" Sakura replied.

"Yeah! Let's go! I'm starving!" Naruto shouted happily.

"You know it's already been four days since the second exam began. We're not going to be breaking any records and we only have twenty four hours left" Sasuke observed, poking the fire.

"You're right. I wonder how many teams have already got their two scrolls and finished" Sakura wondered aloud as she gazed into the fire.

_I wonder when the fish is going to be cooked! I could eat a whale! If I'm quick enough I can grab the two biggest fish before the others even notice! _Naruto thought as his stomach grumbled.

The fish had finally cooked; the blonde boy was true to his word and grabbed the two biggest fish. Sakura noticed but didn't say anything, she was glad to be eating a decent meal. Grabbing her canteen she tipped the remaining water onto the fire to put it out. Both she and Naruto had dried out in record time and donned their ninja clothes again.

Team 7 ate in silence, each deep in thought. An idea poked and prodded its way to the forefront of Sakura's brain, as depressing as it was she felt she had to share this new revelation with her teammates.

"I think we need to consider the possibility that there will be no more Earth Scrolls left" Sakura said, quietly taking a bite of her fish.

"Well that's cheerful isn't it" Sasuke snapped and Sakura glared at him.

"Whatever, you said it yourself Sasuke. We've been out here for four days and used up roughly 80 percent of the time, only 13 teams can pass because there are only thirteen pairs of Heaven and Earth scrolls. There are 26 teams and 78 candidates out in the forest looking for them" Sakura explained, doing the mathematics.

Naruto looked up from his food and Sasuke tried to keep up with her train of thought.

"If those odds weren't bad enough, we need to remember all of the found Heaven and Earth scrolls that have been secured by other teams. There is the possibility one team could have more than just one set" Sakura finished.

"We need to get serious then, and make up for the time we've lost. The next enemy we face could be our last chance" Sasuke said.

Sakura stood up and grabbed the canteen. "I'll go and fill this up and then we can start to leave" she said and began to walk towards the river.

"Wait, I'll go with you" Sasuke said. Sakura shot him a confused look but didn't refuse him.

"Dobe, instead of stuffing fish in your mouth be on you guard" Sasuke instructed and Naruto pulled a face.

"What's with you wanting being alone with Sakura-chan all of a sudden?" The blonde boy asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

"Nothing, I just have some stuff I need to say to her" Sasuke snapped, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Stuff like confessing your feelings or telling her that bushy brow isn't the man she deserves. Ya know she seemed pretty taken with him when we were – OW!" Naruto glared at Sasuke who had thrown his fish bone at Naruto's head.

"Shut up, idiot" Sasuke grumbled and headed down to the river.

"Hmph, stupid Sasuke. He's just grumpy about this Earth Scroll we need to find. Hey wait a minute!" Naruto said and tipped his bag upside down. Three scrolls fell out.

_I know just what to do, this way we'll get an Earth scroll and we won't have to fight a single enemy!_

* * *

><p>"We haven't had a chance to talk about it" Sasuke said as he sat next to his female teammate who put the canteen in the water gently and filled it.<p>

"Talk about what?" Sakura asked, feigning ignorance.

"The mark on my neck and what happened to you because of it" Sasuke said solemnly.

"You don't have to apologise anymore for pushing me, we're passed it now" Sakura sighed.

"You've been interested in this whole medical ninjutsu thing right? What do you know about it?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing, I don't know why he bit you or what exactly happened. From what you were saying and from what Orochimaru had said it seems as though you're tied to him through that mark. When the mark was activated you mentioned something about being an avenger and that Orochimaru gave you the power to do that" Sakura replied quietly.

For a while neither of them spoke.

"He said he would come back for you. Or that you would go to him, seeking power" Sakura started, her voice wavering a little.

"I wouldn't I mean I want the power but I won't follow him. Look at what he did to you and Naruto. Look what I did under the influence of it" Sasuke muttered his eyes trained on the bruise on Sakura's arm.

"You won't be able to help it. Not if he's marked you in that way. That guy is a freak, who knows what's going to happen to you now" Sakura said in a worried tone.

"I don't need his help! It's my job to avenge my clan and mine alone. I don't need other people" Sasuke snapped.

"The mark, Kakashi-sensei should know about it when we finish the exam. I can keep the information from Naruto but not from him. He might know some seals or removal techniques" Sakura said evenly.

"Hn good point" Sasuke replied in a neutral tone.

Sakura stood up and looked happily at the canteen that was now full of water. They could finally head back and start looking for the Earth Scroll they needed. Sasuke got the message and stood up as well and suddenly stiffened as did Sakura.

They both sensed it, a foreign enemy chakra coming from the direction of their makeshift camp.

_Naruto_, Sasuke and Sakura immediately thought and sped off in the direction of their blond haired teammate.

* * *

><p>Kabuto fixed Naruto with a hard look. "I can't believe you were about to open that scroll, you have no idea of the repercussions" he said gravely.<p>

"Naruto!" Sakura called out as she and Sasuke saw an unknown ninja crouching over their teammate.

Sasuke quickly charged forward kunai in hand and Sakura followed, dropping the canteen full of water. Once they were close enough to see who it was, both Team 7 ninja stopped and looked at Naruto in confusion. Kabuto quickly explained that he had arrived just in time to see Naruto attempting to open the Earth Scroll and copy its contents into one of his own scrolls. His plan was to disguise it as a Heaven scroll so that they would not have to fight anymore ninja. Sakura could see the merit in what he had been trying to do but they were forbidden to open the scrolls, Sasuke was less than pleased.

"I can't believe you almost did that dobe" he said angrily.

"You're lucky I came along when I did. There have been others who have broken the rules and tried to look at the scrolls. What happens to them isn't pretty, the scrolls are protected by a powerful hypnosis jutsu as a trap for anyone who tries to read them" Kabuto explained and Naruto looked at the ground guiltily.

"You're Kabuto right, you were at the registration. What are you doing out here by yourself?" Sakura asked, after Orochimaru she felt her suspicion was justified.

"Don't worry, I'm not after your Heaven Scroll" Kabuto reassured them.

"If you were, you would have swiped it from Naruto when you had the chance. So that means you're looking for an Earth Scroll too?" Sasuke asked.

"No, I happened to have a run of luck. I was just on my way to the tower to wait for my teammates" Kabuto said holding up both a Heaven and an Earth Scroll before turning his back. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"I'll fight you for it" Sasuke declared much to the shock of Naruto and Sakura.

"Are you serious?" Kabuto asked, turning around.

"Of course. Sorry but I don't have time to play nice" Sasuke said monotone.

"Back off Sasuke! This guy saved our butts if you remember?" Naruto yelled angrily.

"He's right you know if it wasn't for Kabuto, Naruto would have looked in the Heaven Scroll and we would have been out of this exam for sure" Sakura chimed in.

"Both of you shut it; it's about surviving and winning out here. Nothing else matters" Sasuke growled.

"Well that's a flat out lie" Sakura glared at her teammate.

"What!?" Sasuke snapped back.

"If you really believed that, why would you have openly challenged him to a fight? You could have just jumped him when his back was turned, that's what a ninja would do" Sakura reasoned.

"Impressive Sakura. But it's okay; I actually admire Sasuke for it. So I'll do you a favour. I'll show you the path you should take. But we should leave now, I sense the competition will be close at hand" Kabuto said.

Hearing this, a male ninja hiding in the trees close by quickly vanished and Kabuto smirked.

Team 7 and Kabuto promptly took off through the trees. Along the way, Kabuto explained that the remaining competitors would be converging upon the central tower on the last day of the exam. He explained that it was best to wait in hiding and take a scroll from a team that way. But there were pitfalls; all the other teams without scrolls would be following a similar plan.

Kabuto also explained the notion of collectors, those who would gather extra sets of scrolls to use for various purposes. Bribery, to help teams from their own village and some would hold onto the scrolls to use them against other stronger teams further down the line.

"So you brought us along, because you're frightened?" Sasuke smirked, bouncing off a tree branch.

"You bet I am" Kabuto admitted but to Sakura he didn't sound scared at all.

Night had fallen when they had finally been able to come down from the trees and rest for a minute. They could see the tower from their position.

_At least the end is in sight now_, Sakura thought.

"Oh yeah! Bring it on!" Naruto yelled loudly into the night. Sakura, Kabuto and Sasuke all froze as they heard something move.

Naruto quickly flung his kunai towards the disturbance which turned out to be a giant centipede crawling up a tree. The creature struggled a little before dying.

"Oh, it's just a centipede" Naruto said.

"**Just a centipede! That creepy thing is as big as a bus!" **Inner whined and Sakura agreed. It was huge!

"Hey Naruto, keep it down would you. If you go crashing through the forest you'll draw out all the collectors. The idea is to make it through undetected" Kabuto said tiredly.

Team 7 and Kabuto proceeded to head towards the tower using all the methods they could so as not to be detected. Sakura crawled through the long grass quietly and even Sasuke ventured under water. After a while it became clear what was happening, well to Sakura at least. They had walked much further than probably needed. They should have been there by now, but the tower looked the same distance away that it had when they started.

Turning around Sakura's worst fears were confirmed. There lay the centipede that Naruto had killed about an hour ago. They were walking around in circles, but they weren't lost. It was a genjutsu.

"Everyone stop. Look at this, we're caught in a genjutsu" Sakura said and her teammates plus Kabuto quickly caught on to what was happening.

"Ah! That stupid bug!" Naruto yelled out.

"So it seems someone is playing games with us then. We were so concerned with not being seen by anyone that we didn't see we were walking around in circles" Kabuto said, annoyed.

"What's their game?" Sasuke asked.

"They're probably trying to wear us down and then strike when we're frustrated and physically exhausted" Kabuto deduced.

"So like now for instance?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly, they'll be coming soon" Kabuto replied, adjusting his glasses.

As if on cue, hundreds of clones in black clothing with metal masks across their mouth began to crawl out of trees, from under bushes and logs and began to slowly walk towards Team 7 and Kabuto.

Much to the delight of the three ninja concealed in the trees above.

* * *

><p>Hey guys,<p>

I'm a couple of days late but I hope you like the chapter! ^^ I should be able to finish up the second part of the exam in the next chapter and then we're onto the preliminaries. Feel free to review with any feedback you might have. Thanks so much to everyone who has been reviewing and favoriting this story! :D


	23. Chunin Exams Part 11

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>"It looks like you're going to get that fight after all" Sakura said to Naruto.<p>

"Yep, four on forty it's just the kind of fight we're looking for!" Naruto exclaimed in determination as more clones surrounded them.

"You're all cornered like rats!" One clone spoke, breathing heavily into his metal mask.

"What do you mean rats? Take this!" Naruto yelled and charged forward, he punched the clone who had spoken.

But the punch didn't connect; instead Naruto's fist kept stretching through the clone until in broke out of the clone's side. Immediately it began to melt and Naruto fell to the forest floor in a heap. Sakura, Kabuto and Sasuke watched confused as another clone emerged from the side of the melted one.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan immediately and threw his shuriken quickly to prevent the newly formed clone from taking the blond boy's head off. The melted clone and the new clone that had emerged were still joined together at the waist and the creature turned to face Sasuke.

Sakura saw the curse mark light up on Sasuke's neck as he locked eyes with the two conjoined clones. The newer clone threw a kunai like spear straight for Sasuke, seeing that he wasn't going to move jumped on top of him and pushed him to the ground.

Kabuto quickly examined the spear like kunai that was thrown. _Well this is real enough, there's no illusion here_, he thought. Sakura meanwhile was helping Sasuke into a sitting position as he seemed to be paralysed and unable to do it himself. Little flames began to gather around the cursed mark on Sasuke's neck.

_No, I can't let this activate again. There will be no telling what Sasuke will do or how it will affect his health and our chances of surviving this ambush, _Sakura thought.

"Surrender your scroll, surrender your scroll" the clones repeated over and over again. Naruto stared at them in confusion; these were not typical shadow clones. Their attacks were real because the spear was real and almost hit Sasuke. But they weren't shadow clones because they weren't destroyed on immediate contact. So what exactly did that make them?

"Shut up! If you want the scrolls so badly well come and get it then!" Naruto called out, positioning his knife in front of him.

"No wait Naruto don't! You'll be wasting your time; these things are a result of genjutsu!" Sakura stopped him and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

_She's right of course, but how did Sakura notice it. The Sharingan assisted me in seeing the answer but she looked at it with her own eyes and saw the jutsu for what it was_, Sasuke thought.

"The real enemy is probably hiding somewhere in the forest nearby, launching the real attacks from behind the illusion and coordinating their movements with these clones. The ninja who use this attack are weak in hand to hand combat, they want us to go searching blindly for them" Kabuto deduced.

"Well then logically that means all we can do is hold our ground and fend off their attacks" Sakura added.

"Fine with me, as long as I get to fight these creeps" Naruto said but his breathing was heavy as was Sasuke's and Kabuto's.

From all the travelling plus their bodies had not fully recovered from Orochimaru, Sakura wondered how long they were going to hold out. Dodging another set of kunai it was clear that the ninja behind the illusion were continuing with this game of getting them worn down and tired. Clearly once these ninja were satisfied with their state, they would come down and snatch the scrolls. Sakura's team and Kabuto would be easy prey by then.

_With Sasuke's volatile position and all of our combined exhaustion it's not an option, we need a plan and fast_.

Naruto seemed to have read Sakura's mind and immediately made the sign for his well-known Shadow Clone jutsu.

"Don't do it, you're just wasting your chakra. If you try and fight these clones you'll be doing just what those ninja want" Kabuto warned.

"If I get rid of all these illusions, whoever is casting them won't be able to attack us without us seeing them! I'll show them that we're getting out of this one! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled, not listening to Kabuto.

He and his clones charged forward and proceeded to battle all of the opposing clones. It was a mess of black coloured clones being tackled and destroyed by blond haired orange jumpsuit clones. Initially it appeared to be working but Sakura had anticipated the flaw in Naruto's plan which Sasuke and Kabuto had seen too. The re-spawning effect of the enemy's clones was resistant to destruction. Every time one of Naruto's clones would destroy a black metal mask clone it would come right back.

"Up for more huh? Bring it on!" Naruto yelled fiercely as he caught on to what was happening. But physically he looked exhausted.

"**Why why why can't Naruto listen for once instead of dragging us into these exhausting fights!" **Inner asked as she caught on to a thought Sakura had just had.

_I can't just stand here and watch him battle alone. No matter how tired I am I have to summon the strength_, Sakura replied to her own thoughts and quickly reached into her ninja pouch for her gloves.

Pulling them on Sakura stepped past Kabuto and Sasuke, ready to join Naruto. Sasuke looked at her and sighed.

_She isn't making this protection thing easy_, he thought. But he could hardly blame her as he was just about to join the fight as well.

"I guess I have no choice then" Sasuke grumbled to himself. Looking at the genin Kabuto let out a small frustrated huff at Naruto's actions but prepared to enter as well.

"Sakura, we need your chakra ground punch to get rid of a majority of these clones. Are you able?" Sasuke asked coming up beside her.

Sakura was shocked, this was the first time Sasuke had requested her abilities to be used in battle. Perhaps her resistance to his protection had clued him into the fact that she had most of her strength back now. Recovering from the surprise Sakura considered the request and nodded a little.

"I'm tired but my stamina has only increased over the past four days. I should be able to pull out something substantial and at least give us a clear lead into the fight and buy us a little time before the clones re-spawn again" Sakura said, making the tactical decision.

Concentrating carefully, the female ninja knew to create a decent amount of damage she'd need a strong chakra build up in her fist. Closing her eyes she waited to feel the familiar build of power, seeing what she was doing Sasuke stepped back to give her the space that she needed.

Kabuto also took a few steps back and watched the girl in confusion. "What is she doing?" he asked the Uchiha boy quietly.

Truly the petite pink haired girl did not look capable of all that much as a ninja, although she had the brains to be sure, Kabuto had yet to see what she possessed battle wise.

"Hn, you'll see" Sasuke replied.

The peak of the power had reached her fist and it glowed a stunning bright green. Kabuto watched on in amazement as Sakura raised her right arm skyward and brought the green fist down into the earth.

"TAKE THIS!" Sakura yelled as her fist connected with the ground.

The earth exploded all around her and Sakura was taken aback by the depth of the cracks in the ground and the length that they travelled for.

_It hasn't been this extensive before_, Sakura thought as she watched the clones being demolished before her eyes for thirty or more metres.

Outwardly it would seem that the stamina training had made a greater impact over the last four days than Sakura initially thought. But she had to wonder if Inner had played a role in the affect her chakra punch attack now had. Especially after what had occurred between herself and Inner during the Sound Ninja battle.

"**Not me this time, it was all you"** Inner said quietly.

Sakura was unaccustomed to the quiet moments Inner would have with her but smirked nonetheless. It was always a good boost for her morale to see her attacks advancing. The role of Inner in her previous fight was still unclear but now was not the time for contemplation.

"Wow. That was impressive" Kabuto remarked and Sasuke nodded.

_It seems Orochimaru was not lying, the girl has potential_, Kabuto thought as a sinister smirk appeared on his face unseen by his companions.

It was clear to Sasuke that his teammate's strength was improving. She was an asset to their survival in these exams; she had been from the start. He had just been unwilling or unable to admit it; both Sakura and Naruto were developing into formidable ninja.

_Ultimately I will emerge as the strongest of our team. After all I am an avenger and the gift he gave me has not yet been fully explored_, Sasuke mused but quickly discourage the thought.

He had promised Sakura he would not let the cursed mark get the better of him. He couldn't do that to her, not after what she had done for him and Naruto.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed from the middle of the battle field where her attack had come to a stop. Sakura smiled a little at her teammate before turning to Sasuke and Kabuto.

"Quick before they have time to re-spawn, let's get in there" she instructed before jumping forward.

It was morning, the rays of the sun began to stream through the forest as Team 7 and Kabuto collapsed on the ground, the metal mask clones standing around them. They were as many in number as when the fight first began, the enemy ninja's genjutsu was holding. Sakura was exhausted and all the fight had gone out of her, she calculated roughly four hours of continuous battle with the clones.

_They'll be giving up the clones to come and deal with us themselves, it's almost over_, she thought.

The clones began to melt and disappear and were replaced with three ninja wearing metal masks over their faces. Sakura recognised the one in the middle as the first Naruto impersonator they had battled against.

"You two! The girl's the one that punched me and the boy nailed me with his kunai!" The first impostor breathed to his teammates.

"Well now we can pay them back" one of his teammates said, drawing a knife.

Sakura and Naruto looked fearfully at the impostor ninja and his teammates but that was quickly replaced by arrogant smirks.

_It's just as we had planned for, _Sakura thought and narrowed her eyes at the enemy ninja who appeared beyond confused.

"Well, well. Now who are the cornered rats?" Sasuke asked, his voice echoing around the forest but the Sasuke next to Naruto and Sakura did not speak a word.

"It worked like a charm, good job you two" Kabuto concurred.

The enemy ninja looked around, trying to locate the voices. One of them pointed to the bushes behind them where Kabuto and Sasuke stood, unharmed and not the least bit exhausted.

"You all confused? Good, because it was the only way to get you out of hiding. Show them Naruto" Sakura declared.

Immediately Naruto released his jutsu revealing Kabuto and Sasuke to be just ordinary Naruto clones disguised. Sakura and Naruto were the only ones who had fought as themselves.

"It can't be, that little brat!" The imposter ninja declared.

"The Shadow clones were the first part, the hardest point was coming up with clones for Sasuke and Kabuto" Naruto said.

"While Sakura and Naruto held off your clones with our doubles, Kabuto and I were safe and waiting for you to show yourselves. I think our little plan worked wouldn't you say?" Sasuke explained, arrogantly.

The three enemy ninja remained frozen as he talked, but Naruto fell to his knees. The strain of producing all of his regular clones plus the disguised clones and coordinating the battle component had taken a strain on him. Sakura moved to assist him, he was plain exhausted.

"Sakura, Naruto. Take a break, you've used up a lot of your chakra. I've got these idiots" Sasuke said loudly and the three metal mask ninja stiffened.

Sakura looked quickly at Naruto and both ran straight for the enemy ninja, knocking them down like bowling pins.

"I'm not sure I agree with Sasuke completely. What about you Naruto?" Sakura asked teasingly.

"Nope, we didn't do all that work so you could have all the fun Teme!" Naruto declared happily.

_This can't be the same blonde loudmouth I met at the river, his chakra is amazingly resilient. He should be completely unable to move_, Kabuto wondered in astonishment.

"That wasn't bad we'll give you that. But time is running out for all of us and we're still feeling lucky. Ninja Art: Fog Clone Justu!" The leader of the masked ninja spoke loudly.

Hundreds of clones filled the area once more, Sakura immediately noticed that they were exact replicas of the three masked ninja and more to the point, they were real clones and not shadow clones.

"Don't waste your strength Naruto, wait for them to make the first move" Sasuke instructed Naruto who was examining the clones around him with a fox like smile.

"These are clones plain and simple, so all I have to do is find the real ones hiding in there and smash my way through the fakes" Naruto replied.

"No! Don't be an idiot, listen to me!" Sasuke demanded.

"Get off my case Sasuke and let me handle this!" Naruto yelled out, and against all better sense charged for the massive amount of clones.

"Here we go again" Kabuto muttered and followed Naruto in an attempt to stop him.

Sasuke reactivated the Sharingan and was about to follow but a sharp stabbing pain in his neck cause him to freeze.

_Why is this, why is it that every time I activate it I can't move. Could I have used too much chakra?_

Sakura watched Sasuke carefully, he was unable to move she could tell that much. She wanted to assist Kabuto in stopping Naruto but at the same time she couldn't leave Sasuke alone with his inability to move.

Naruto began as he had before, punching random clones. Each one he hit he fell straight through, it seemed to Sakura as though the real ninja had disappeared again. It was certainly a possibility, use this ninja art and then disappear leaving herself and her companions even more exhausted.

_Got to try, got to use the last of my Sharingan_, Sasuke thought as he activated it. Glancing at all the clones quickly he could see that the real ninja were nowhere to be found.

The Sharingan lasted for a few brief moments before Sasuke's cursed mark heated up again and he screamed out in pain and fell to the ground. Sakura was at his side in an instant and examined the mark, it was orange as if on fire. They desperately needed to finish this exam so Kakashi could take a look at the mark. It was getting out of hand.

Noticing the commotion with Sasuke, Naruto turned around quickly to look and one of the clones took a chance and lept forward to strike the blond ninja. But Kabuto was faster and pushed Naruto out of the way, getting cut quite badly in the process.

"Are you alright!?" Naruto asked worriedly as Kabuto clutched at his leg in pain. Kabuto groaned loudly and didn't reply.

"Now you're going to get it!" The blond ninja yelled to the clones.

"Naruto stop! Don't be a fool! You're just wasting your time on them, the real ninja aren't even there!" Sasuke called out, still clutching the back of his neck in pain.

Sasuke's Sharingan had confirmed Sakura's suspicions, the real ninja had once again disappeared. But where could they have gone.

"Well if they aren't here then where are they! Kabuto's hurt because of that last attack so they're damn well somewhere!" Naruto spat back at Sasuke, frustrated.

"Use your head, if I knew the answer to where they were we wouldn't be in this fix!" Sasuke replied angrily and hissed in pain, grabbing at his neck.

Naruto felt all the fight go out of him and knelt down next to Kabuto. It was official, he couldn't do the Shadow Clone Justu anymore he didn't have the chakra. With Naruto now weakened, Sasuke unable and Kabuto hurt. Sakura once again felt the task to fight now lay with her.

The question that needed answering was the enemy's location. Sakura's sharp sense of chakra detection couldn't seem to find them, they weren't around in the trees unless they had masked it. So the only place left was under the ground.

They had covered in briefly in academy training of places where an enemy ninja could hide in battle. It was plausible that instead of sitting in the trees and using the clones like puppets this time the clones were meant as a distraction while they picked the best time to attack.

_That would be now, while everyone is down_, Sakura thought.

It was all guess work though, nothing concrete but the female ninja knew she had to assist Naruto and Kabuto. Leaving Sasuke's side Sakura charged in and landed at Naruto's side, just as one of the clones made a slash at the blond boy. Simultaneous to this, the real ninja began to rise up from under the ground.

_So I was right, an Earth style technique_

"Naruto behind you!" Sasuke called out and Sakura whipped around but she wasn't quick enough. The attack came from behind, from the real ninja who were hiding in the earth. Suddenly Kabuto charged forward and took the hit for Naruto from behind, Sakura meanwhile took out the clone that had been aiming for Naruto from the front.

Naruto ran to Kabuto's side immediately and attempted to assist him, it was then that the three real ninja rose above ground and encircled Naruto and Kabuto traping them completely.

"You should always keep your eyes on your opponent. Idiots" Sakura said plainly and roundhouse kicked the ninja sending them sprawling into the dirt. Adding chakra to the kick meant they were knocked out stone cold.

"Ah, thank you Sakura, I believe you saved our necks" Kabuto sighed in relief but Sasuke's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Good job Sakura-chan!" Naruto added tiredly and gave the thumbs up.

Sakura nodded and turned around to examine the fallen enemy ninja, she began rummaging through their pouches and clothing until she found an object in the leader's pocket that felt like a scroll.

_Please be an Earth scroll, please be an Earth scroll. We don't have any time left. The sun is rising higher in the sky and we need to get to the tower_

It was a miracle in itself that the scroll that emerged was indeed an Earth one, Sakura let out an inaudible sigh of relief at the navy coloured scroll before holding it up to show her teammates.

"Guys! An Earth scroll!" Sakura called out happily.

"Alright! Just what we needed!" Naruto yelled happily, his tiredness evaporating.

"Good for you!" Kabuto said in an upbeat voice.

Sasuke watched the other ninja carefully, his suspicion growing by the minute. _Just what was he doing out here all alone, away from his teammates. Why would he have left them?_ He thought fixing his eyes on Kabuto a lot longer than necessary.

Kabuto caught Sasuke's gaze and he quickly spotted the curse mark on Sasuke's neck.

"What is that, a bruise?" Kabuto inquired sounding genuinely concerned.

"Hn, it's nothing" Sasuke replied, annoyed. Both ninja watched each other for a moment before Kabuto decided to announce their departure.

"Well, what are we all waiting for? Let's get to that tower!" he said cheerfully.

Sakura put the Earth scroll in her concealed pocket to join the Heaven scroll. It felt good to have both pairs. Making her way back to Sasuke, Sakura could see that the Sharingan had left him practically unable to move.

"You two make a start towards the tower. Sasuke and I are going to be a little slower, I have to help him walk" Sakura said to Kabuto and Naruto.

"Okay Sakura-chan! Are you sure you don't need help carrying the teme? He's kind of heavy!" Naruto taunted.

"Shut up dobe" Sasuke said, glaring at his teammate.

"I'll be fine Naruto; just don't get us into any more trouble alright?" Sakura teased. Kabuto chuckled as the blond boy pouted and whined. Both headed off in the direction of the tower.

"Come on Sasuke, we don't want to fall too far behind" Sakura said as she helped the Uchiha boy to his feet.

Throwing her left arm around his neck she supported his weight, Sasuke wrapped his right arm around her waist causing Sakura to stiffen and a little heat rise to her cheeks.

"Hn, this is a good position. Comfortable, let's go" Sasuke said and both ninja began to walk slowly after Kabuto and Naruto.

"I have my suspicions about Kabuto, there is something that I can't pinpoint about him but I don't trust him" Sasuke said, moving his lips right next to Sakura's ear and whispering to her so as not to be heard by their companions a few steps ahead.

Shocked and somewhat thrilled at his actions Sakura's legs nearly gave out underneath her, but she pulled herself together and absorbed what Sasuke had said.

She too had felt the same notion towards Kabuto; the pieces didn't seem to fit. How he just happened to come upon Naruto minutes before he opened the Heaven Scroll. Saving their teammate and making Team 7 indebted to him, then helping them effectively obtain the Earth Scroll. What exactly was his game in helping them? Within these exams everyone was to be regarded with suspicion outside teammates and Kabuto was no different. His motives were definitely questionable.

"I agree. I'm suspicious about him as well, his motives are questionable and I wonder what his game is by giving us all the assistance and making us feel indebted towards him" Sakura whispered back into Sasuke's ear, her breath sending tingles up his spine which Sasuke tried and failed to ignore.

_We're on the same page that's a nice change, _Sakura thought as she smirked triumphantly.

_She's good. I'm glad she suspects him as much as I do_, Sasuke mused as they continued their slow journey to the tower. 

* * *

><p>"We're here at last!" Naruto exclaimed happily as Team 7 and Kabuto climbed the stairs at the bottom level of the tower.<p>

Sakura observed that there was a large door in front of them; she figured that was the entry point. She and Sasuke made it up the last few stairs shakily, it had been exhausting supporting his weight and her own through the forest making sure they did not trigger any traps plus keeping her chakra senses sharp.

"Kabuto! There you are!" A voice called out.

Team 7 turned around to see two ninja walking towards Kabuto. _Those must be his teammates, at least he wasn't lying about that_, Sasuke thought.

"You're late!" One of Kabuto's teammates said as they came to stand with the silver haired ninja.

"Ah yes, sorry about that. You see I got a little side-tracked" Kabuto said, referring to Team 7.

"It's a good thing you did! It's only thanks to you that we got the scrolls!" Naruto piped up.

"Not really, you did most of it on your own. Especially you Naruto, it was very impressive!" Kabuto said kindly and Naruto grinned.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances which didn't go unnoticed by Kabuto. He simply adjusted his glasses and turned to address all of Team 7.

"Well this is the door we go through; yours appears to be the one just next to us. I guess this is so long, and good luck to us both" Kabuto smiled.

"Right!" Naruto said and both teams opened their separate doors and went inside. 

* * *

><p>"A good harvest?"<p>

"Yes, I learnt a lot about them during the second exam and focused on him as you requested. I recorded the data. You want it?" Kabuto replied and held out one of his ninja data cards.

"Of course I do"

"Your curiosity is insatiable Lord Orochimaru" Kabuto smirked as he handed over the card.

"You're a Sound Village spy which means you see things others do not. It is natural that your opinion would interest me" Orochimaru replied and examined the card with interest.

"But that matters little, whatever it is that I think you'll make the final decision. Isn't that always the way?" Kabuto asked with an edge in his tone.

"You're a cagey one Kabuto, I like that. Good work" Orochimaru said and disappeared into thin air taking the card with him. 

* * *

><p>"What's the deal? Where is everybody?" Naruto asked and his voice echoed around the empty room.<p>

"Hn, thank you Sakura. I can manage myself now" Sasuke said as he removed himself from Sakura's support immediately missing the warmth and closeness of their situation.

_Again, you shouldn't be thinking like that! Togetherness time is over, you need to stay alert and prepare yourself for what's coming next in these exams_, Sasuke thought and put some distance between himself and his female teammate.

Sakura nodded at Sasuke's request and ignored the stab of pain as she watched him put distance between them. Inner seemed to be giving off a strong vibe of annoyance at the loss of Sasuke's closeness but chose not to voice it which confused Sakura to no end.

"Great, so what happens now" Sasuke asked as he looked around the empty room.

"It's probably got something to do with that" Sakura said and pointed to the writing on the wall.

"Uh, so?" Naruto ventured, staring in confusion at the writing and Sakura sighed.

"If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When Heaven and Earth are opened together, the pair less path will become righteous forever! This something is the secret way that guides us from this place today" Sakura read quickly.

"This what? Or is that a secret too?" Naruto asked, more confused than ever.

"There's a word missing where I said 'something'. It's clearly referring to the scrolls. From what I can see, we're supposed to open and read the Heaven and Earth Scrolls now" Sakura explained and reached into her concealed pocket and brought out the scrolls.

"Who wants to open the other one?" Sakura asked.

"I'll do it" Naruto said and took the Earth scroll from his teammate.

Slowly both ninja unfurled the scrolls and began to examine their contents.

"Huh what is this?" Naruto asked, turning his upside down.

"It looks like a man, or a person" Sasuke observed from over Sakura's shoulder.

The middle part of the Earth scroll began to bubble up and smoke began to billow out. Team 7 stared wide eyed.

"These scrolls! The writings and pictures are for a summoning jutsu. We need to throw them away right now!" Sakura instructed and hurled her scroll into the air, Naruto quickly did the same.

_What is it now? Another fight with a summoned enemy? We're in no position to battle again!_, Sakura thought as the smoke began to clear and revealed a mysterious shadowy figure.

"What it's you!?" Sasuke said, shocked. Team 7 was standing face to face with their old academy teacher Iruka.

"Hey, long time no see huh?" Iruka smirked.

"Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Looks like you've all been through a lot during this test" Iruka observed.

"What's the deal, why are you here with a summoning jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"At the end of the second exam, we Chunin are the ones instructed to welcome the test takers back. Guess I got lucky to be given you guys huh?" Iruka said happily and took out a pocket watch.

"Wow, you three made it just in time. So here goes then; congratulations you passed the second exam! Since you've all passed I'd love to treat you to some ramen but I – hey!" he exclaimed as Naruto raced forward and latched himself onto Iruka.

"Ramen! Really! That is so cool! So cool! I haven't had ramen in four days!" Naruto yelled happily, hugging his old sensei.

"Naruto!" Iruka began to chastise but the blond boy kept on going.

"Ah ramen is going to be so cool Iruka-sensei especially if you're paying but especially because we've been eating nothing but bugs and plants and I'm going to eat every noodle every made!" Naruto ranted excitedly.

Sakura and Sasuke dropped to their knees simultaneously. They were exhausted and finally had a chance to rest but Naruto seemed to draw from this constant reserve of energy. Both his teammates marvelled at how he could just keep going.

"I see it now. What would you have done to us Iruka sensei if we had looked at the scrolls in the middle of the exam Iruka-sensei?" Sakura asked when Naruto had finally calmed down.

"Sharp as always huh Sakura?" Iruka said and stooped over to pick up one of the scrolls.

"Part of this exam was to see how well you could complete a difficult mission to the end, put simply you knew that opening the scrolls was against the mission. If you had tried to open one we were ordered to knock you unconscious" the Chunin explained.

"It was a good thing you didn't open yours then huh Naruto?" Sasuke asked arrogantly.

_You're telling me! Thank you Kabuto I owe you one!_, the blond boy thought as he wiped his forehead in relief.

"Sensei, I have a question. What does the parchment on the wall mean? One part is eaten away, we couldn't understand it" Sakura questioned her former sensei.

"Oh please! Like any of that matters! We passed didn't we!?" Naruto all but screamed in Sakura's ear and the latter had to resist the urge to knock him down a peg or two.

"Actually Naruto explaining that is another one of my required duties. They're instructions Lord Hokage wrote for all Chunin" Iruka said and turned to face the parchment. All of Team 7 looked on in interest.

"Heaven stands for mind and Earth for body. If your weakness lies in your intellect then you have to work hard to learn all the information and skills required. This I feel applies to you Naruto. But if you physically aren't strong you need to work hard every day so your physical strength increases. Wouldn't you say so Sakura?" Iruka said, being oblivious to Sakura's training and changes.

But before Sakura had time to response Sasuke cut in.

"Actually sensei, Sakura's physical strength has increased. Her stamina is good and she can hold her own in a fight. She works hard and it's become more obvious over these past four days" he said and Sakura shot him a grateful smile.

"That is wonderful to hear Sakura! Good for you!" Iruka said a little hurriedly and Sakura frowned at this.

_Again with the legitimacy of the compliments about my development, why is it always rushed over and yet Sasuke or Naruto's achievements would be discussed at length_, Sakura thought and her annoyance returned.

She was glad Sasuke had said something about her abilities, it showed he had finally come to recognise her performance on the battlefield. She wondered if it were her who had spoken to Iruka about her achievements, would it have been taken seriously.

"So if your mind and body are working together as one, then even a dangerous mission can become an easy one. The part with the missing letter is meant for all of you to fill in. The character on the scroll is for person, a reference to you Chunin. These five days of survival were to test your abilities as Chunin and you all did wonderfully" Iruka said happily.

Team 7 sat in science and Iruka scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"Well that was it that was all I had to tell you" he said.

"Right!" Naruto replied determinedly and saluted his sensei who nodded but his face changed quickly.

"One more thing, for the third exam don't push too hard. Especially you Naruto I-" Iruka began to say seriously but the blond boy cut him off.

"Sensei when I got this headband I stopped being a student, so you don't need to worry about me at all. Right now I'm a ninja too, we all are" Naruto said gesturing to his teammates.

"Right you are Naruto. You have all grown a lot and stand before me as fully capable ninja. I wish you luck as you proceed into the third exam. Come with me" Iruka said in a more business like tone and walked to the end of the room where another door stood.

"This will take us to the central part of the tower where the third exams will take place" Iruka said and opened the door.

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto got up and followed their former sensei into the third and final part of the Chunin exams. 

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Yay second exams are done! Hope you enjoyed them, now on to the third part and the preliminary fights! Review or favourite or both if you liked this chapter or the whole story! Please continue to send in your feedback. I'll make sure to try and reply to any comments or questions or suggestions you have!

New chapter up in a week. Thank you all for your support! ^^


	24. Preliminaries Part 1

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>In a private and guarded room within the central tower in the Forest of Death, Anko clutched her shoulder in pain. One hand covered her curse mark from view; Hiruzen Sarutobi the Third Hokage of the Leaf Village watched the elite female ninja carefully.<p>

"The curse mark, does it trouble you still?" he asked calmly.

"No, I can manage. Thanks to you it's much better" Anko replied firmly and pulled her jacket up to cover the mark.

"Okay then, this Orochimaru guy. He's one of the Sanin right? The legendary three ninja? I thought he was dead but apparently that's all a rumour now. He's supposed to be very powerful" a Jounin asked.

"Why is he here anyway?" another Jounin added.

"That kid" Anko began, remembering Orochimaru's conversation with her in the forest.

"You mean Sasuke, right?" Sarutobi asked, reading Anko's thoughts. Before anything more could be said, the radio in the room crackled to life.

"Anko! 21 ninja have finished the second exam, the rules state for this many we need to hold a round of preliminaries. The first time in five years. Over!" A voice said before the line disconnected.

"I have decided, for now we will continue with the exams as planned but I wish to keep an eye on his movements as well" the Third Hokage instructed.

* * *

><p>Team 7 were lead into a huge arena where the third part of the exams was to be held. Two huge hand statues in the position to perform a jutsu were located at the far end of the building.<p>

Iruka quickly instructed Team 7 to line up one behind the other and join the other remaining candidates in the centre of the room. He quickly jogged up to a platform where Lord Hokage stood.

Surrounding him were all the different Jounin of each of the different squads, Sakura spotted Kakashi standing next to Lee's sensei Gai. From a quick glance around the room, it seemed all of the Rookie 9 had passed the second exam.

The third exam had not yet started and everyone was chatting quietly amongst themselves, whispering about what the next task could possibly be.

Sarutobi had his eyes trained carefully on Sasuke, Orochimaru had not yet left the Leaf Village he was certain of it.

Therefore it was highly likely there were spies for him within the exams to track the progress of the Uchiha boy. Or perhaps the snake man was here himself, hidden from view. Upon entering the arena, Lord Hokage had been informed of the whispers circulating around Sasuke's curse mark. Apparently some of the Rookie 9 had witnessed the power it had possessed.

_We need information on exactly what has happened to Sasuke_, he thought and motioned for Kakashi and Anko to speak with him.

"Lord Hokage, it is my request that Sasuke Uchiha be refused entry into the third exams. I feel the curse mark may be activated during battle" Anko said immediately.

"It's at this point that I should remind you he is an Uchiha. You think he'll go quietly if you order him to do so?" Kakashi piped up happily.

"So? I'll stop him by force if I have to! If he manipulates his chakra in anyway it will provoke a reaction from that cursed mark!" Anko snapped angrily.

"You make your point Anko, but before I make a decision on this I wish to speak with Sakura Haruno" Sarutobi said.

"The girl, what does she have to do with this?" Anko demanded.

"From the whispers I have heard, it seems some of the Rookie 9 were around to witness Sasuke's response to the curse mark activation. I would like to know more of this, it seems reasonable to assume that either Sakura or Naruto was a witness to this" Sarutobi explained.

"What!? Why do we need to explore this!? Why not just withdraw the Uchiha boy from the exam. Send him to the hospital to be examined by Lady Tsunade! Anbu Black Ops can guard him!" Anko asked in despair.

"No, I wish to give Sasuke the opportunity to participate in the exams. But I also wish to know Orochimaru's plans and thoughts about the boy. I need more information before I can make an informed decision. What say you Kakashi?" Lord Hokage turned to face the silver haired man.

"Hm. Sakura has come a long way in a short amount of time; she has superb observational skills and intelligence that is absolutely an asset to gathering information. Plus her stamina has increased allowing her to hold out longer in a fight; there was a chance that she saw the transformation as well. She also shows a promise for medical ninjutsu" Kakashi supplied.

"Very well, Anko prepare to announce the final stage of the exams. After you do this, hand the speech over to me. I will request Sakura come and speak with me, yourself and Kakashi. I wish for this to be in front of everyone, if Orochimaru or one of his spies is in fact here and has had contact with Team 7 I want him to know I am aware of his plans" Sarutobi ordered and Anko nodded reluctantly.

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam" Anko spoke into the small microphone next to her mouth and looked out at the candidates.

_There were 78 ninja who took that exam, it's surprising even 21 passed_, she thought and smirked.

"I'm really hungry" Choji whispered to Shikamaru, clutching at his stomach.

"Look at all these people left; this is going to be such a pain" Shikamaru grumbled.

"Aha! Sasuke and his team have passed too!" Ino squealed and gazed at the Uchiha boy.

"They better have after all the trouble we went to helping them" Shikamaru replied, annoyed.

"I see your team didn't do too badly, Kakashi. They must have gotten real lucky. Of course with my team still around your team is doomed to failure. What matters on the next exam is ability and you're far out classed. They'll just have to learn to deal with the heartbreak huh Kakashi?" Gai said turning to face his rival.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kakashi asked coolly having not heard a word of Gai's 'victory' speech.

"WHAT! YOU WEREN'T LISTENING!" Gai yelled startling everyone and earning a glare from the Hokage.

_Boy that drives me NUTS how he's always acting so cool! I'm not going to let him get the best of me! _Gai thought, clenching his fist in determination.

"Gai sensei is the coolest teacher ever! He practically glows with cool compared to Kakashi! I will make you proud of me one day Gai sensei!" Lee said happily.

"Well in a game of looks Kakashi's got Gai beat" Tenten piped up, gazing at Gai's old rival.

"GAH! Tenten my youthful teammate what are you saying! Gai sensei is all charm and manliness! I model myself on his lady killer good looks!" Lee told Tenten, horrified at her comment.

_You don't say Lee_, Tenten thought and rolled her eyes.

_I'll get you back for what you did to me Sasuke, no matter what it takes_, Zaku thought angrily as he watched Sasuke from across the room. His arm was now in a sling.

The pale faced Sound Ninja Jounin with familiar snake like eyes made eye contact with Kabuto. Giving him a slight sadistic smirk that made a chill run up Kabuto's spine, the Sound Jounin quickly turned away.

_N-Naruto passed too! T-thank goodness_, Hinata mused happily, staring at the back of the blond boy's head.

"Woah! Everyone is here, old man Hokage, Iruka sensei and even bigger bushy brow!" Naruto whispered to his teammates.

"I don't have a very good feeling about this" Sasuke responded, placing his hand over the back of his neck. Sakura watched him quietly but said nothing.

"Alright now pay attention! Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you! So listen carefully maggots!" Anko said and walked over to give the Hokage her microphone.

"Thank you Anko. I will be explaining the third exam to you all very shortly. But first I request a private word with one of you" Lord Hokage spoke and everyone looked up in curiosity.

_A private word? Just who could that be?_ _Is someone disqualified? I hope it's those Sound Ninja_, Sakura thought as she listened carefully.

"Sakura Haruno, please make your way up to the platform" Sarutobi instructed his eyes finding the pink haired teen in the crowd.

_So this is the girl Tsunade has picked as her private student. Interesting_, he thought.

Everyone turned around to stare at the young girl. The whispers began immediately, what had she done to require an audience with the Hokage? Gai turned to Kakashi in question but Kakashi remained silent, not making eye contact. Many of the other Jounin looked shocked, what could Lord Hokage want with one of the candidates?

Sakura remained rooted to the spot, unable to believe what had happened. Was it something she had done during the exam? No that was impossible; she hadn't broken any of the rules. They definitely hadn't opened the scrolls otherwise herself and her teammates wouldn't be here now. Nothing else happened in the forest,except for the encounter with Orochimaru.

Of course. That was it.

Gritting her teeth and ignoring the accusing stares of everyone around her, Sakura stepped out of the line her teammates were in and began making her way towards the Hokage. Sasuke and Naruto watched her with worried and curious eyes.

_She won't talk about the mark, she promised she wouldn't. Are they going to ask her about Orochimaru?_ Sasuke thought and narrowed his eyes at Lord Hokage.

_Forehead gets a private audience with the Hokage? Suck up! Or maybe they'll kick her out of the exams_, Ino thought happily.

The Sound Ninja Jounin smiled creepily at Sakura as she stepped onto the platform, resisting the urge to shudder Sakura felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Kakashi behind her.

"There are some matters I have to discuss in private with Sakura here, I request your presence Kakashi as her squad leader and yours too Anko as proctor of the second exam. We will return shortly, I apologise for the delay" Lord Hokage said and switched off the mike.

Before Sakura could even spare a backward glance at her teammates, Kakashi had put one hand on her shoulder and was steering her towards a small side door at the edge of the arena. Lord Hokage and Anko followed behind them and the door was locked.

* * *

><p>"Sensei, what is all of this about?" Sakura asked as soon as the door was closed. She decided feigning ignorance would be the best approach.<p>

"Sakura, we are well aware of the cursed seal Sasuke was given by Orochimaru during your battle with him during the second exam" Sarutobi cut in before Kakashi could respond.

"I see" Sakura replied evenly, so they knew. That meant they wanted information out of her.

"So you're acknowledging the marks existence then?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, I am aware of the cursed mark" Sakura responded.

"We need information on it, plain and simple. You're the Uchiha's teammate. You need to tell us exactly what happened after Orochimaru gave him the mark" Anko barked and Sakura glared at her.

"Anko, I believe you could be a little kinder towards my student considering she's cooperated with us thus far" Kakashi deadpanned.

"How do you know that I saw Orochimaru give him the mark or what occurred after that? At most all you know from me is that I am aware of the existence of it. Sasuke could have told me that himself after the battle was over" Sakura countered and Anko glared.

_I promised Sasuke I wouldn't say anything, Lord Hokage might be trying to get him out of the exam. The only person I want to speak with about this is Kakashi sensei_, Sakura thought.

"Sakura, I understand you are trying to protect your teammate. We have no intention of telling Sasuke Uchiha he cannot participate during the exam. I am not ignorant enough to believe that you haven't promised him you won't say anything" Lord Hokage said quietly, sitting down.

Anko huffed and walked towards the wall; Kakashi guided Sakura to a seat in front of the Hokage and took up a standing position not too far away.

"What you have to understand Sakura is that Orochimaru is a very dangerous ninja. For some reason he has chosen Sasuke and we want to find out exactly what happened so that we can take the necessary precautions and protect your teammate" Lord Hokage explained and looked at Sakura who looked away immediately.

"We believe he is still within the Leaf Village, that or he has spies working for him within the candidates" Anko added from her position near the window. Sakura stiffened immediately.

_Still here, he's still here. I don't have a choice; I have to protect Sasuke from Orochimaru no matter what_, Sakura thought.

"I see. I had intended to talk with Kakashi-sensei about Sasuke's curse mark in the hopes that there could be something done about it. But I understand now it is better for me to tell you what I've seen" Sakura said quietly but looked at her sensei for his opinion.

Kakashi nodded at his female student and Sakura swallowed before telling them all that had occurred during the second exam. From the time Orochimaru bit Sasuke on the neck, the incredible pain he went through. She told of how Sasuke remained unconscious and her vital checks told her he had a high fever which no herbal remedy could cure. She explained the purple chakra she had seen seeping out of the mark and the black flames that engulfed Sasuke when it was active.

"He also intends to come back for him. Orochimaru said Sasuke would come looking for him, seeking power and revenge. Or Orochimaru himself would come back for Sasuke. I think since he's received the mark Sasuke believes he's an avenger and his path will always be to find more power to accomplish the goal of killing someone and restoring his clan" Sakura finished.

_I won't tell them of Orochimaru's interest in me, it's probably of little consequence to them all anyway_, Sakura thought and Inner agreed.

"I see. Thank you for telling us this Sakura. Please understand I may have to inform others of what you have told me but I will not mention you as the source of information" Sarutobi murmured, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"You did well Sakura, to assist Sasuke and Naruto during the exam when they weren't conscious. I am proud of you and you have grown" Kakashi smiled through his mask at her and Sakura returned the smile.

_If I've done so well why do I feel so different_, Sakura mused and suddenly remembered a question she needed to put to the Hokage.

"Since I have helped you with information, I request that you do the same for me" Sakura said directly to Lord Hokage who peered at the young lady.

"Yes, what is your request Sakura?" he asked.

"I wish to know about my father, what is his current status and what is being done to bring him home if he is not already?" Sakura stated calmly.

_She is much like Tsunade in many ways, I wonder if Tsunade knows this herself?_ Lord Hokage thought and took a puff from his pipe.

"I was half expecting this from you Sakura, but I wonder if it will you do you much good to know of your father's status before the third exam commences?" he asked her.

"I would like to know straight away; it will motivate me to do better in the third exams if my father is alive but not yet returned home. Or should you tell me he has died I would feel as though I owe it to him to do well in the exams. My father is a great ninja, I would like to become one like he and my mother. Someone worthy of respect" Sakura said in a strong voice, trying desperately not to imagine her father dead.

"Your response is strong for one as young as yourself and I can see you worry greatly for he and your mother. Takao Haruno and his team have still not returned from their mission, he is now under the classification of missing ninja" Sarutobi said and Sakura let out a small breath.

_Her father is a missing ninja? Takao Haruno? That would explain Sakura's reaction to comments about her father during the Land of Waves mission_, Kakashi thought.

"We will do what we can to find him" the Third Hokage said and Sakura nodded.

"I still must insist Sasuke Uchiha not participate in the third exams. If anything because of her testimony the danger is even higher for the curse mark to activate. He is a danger and risk to the other candidates!" Anko said and walked towards the door.

"Anko. My decision stands. Sasuke Uchiha will participate in the exams. After this, Kakashi you will perform the Sealing of the Curse on the mark. Sakura will accompany you, since she has expressed interest in medical ninjutsu she can observe her teammates chakra and vitals making sure the sealing does not kill him" Sarutobi spoke in a hard voice.

"Right" Kakashi said.

_I can only assume Kakashi has told the Hokage about my interest in medical ninjutsu. But help keep Sasuke alive while the curse mark is sealed? I don't know if I have the chakra for it, _Sakura thought, unsure and confronted by the request.

"Well, now that I have discussed all that is required we can return to the third exam. I feel we have kept the candidates long enough and some of them have probably started to get restless. Good luck to you Sakura and your team as well" the Third Hokage said and left the room. Anko followed and Kakashi motioned for Sakura to stand as well.

"You can't mention anything that has happened in this room Sakura, to anyone" Kakashi said firmly and his female student nodded.

Walking back out into the arena, Kakashi gave Sakura a quick hand wave and took his place back up on the platform next to Gai. Sakura noticed all eyes were once again on her and she ducked her head walking back to her place with her team.

Avoiding Sasuke and Naruto's gazes, Sakura faced the front and waited for Lord Hokage to begin speaking.

"Before I explain about the third exams I wish to talk with you all about the test itself. I will now inform you about the true purpose of these exams, so listen closely" Sarutobi said.

_The true purpose of the exams? What does that mean?_ Naruto thought and squinted at the old man.

"We hold these exams in conjunction with our allies to raise the ability levels of the Shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations is a certainty. These exams are so to speak, a representation of the battle between allied nations" the Third Hokage said and blew a puff of smoke from his pipe.

"So what exactly does that mean?" Tenten asked from the back of the room.

"Examining all the countries were are currently allied with, they were once neighbouring nations that fought with each other almost constantly. In order to prevent destroying each other's military strength, those nations picked champions to do battle on behalf of their countries in a selected location. This was the origins of the Chunin election exams" Sarutobi explained.

"Then what's the point of the exams, it's not like we're being selected to go and fight" Naruto piped up.

"Actually, part of the point of the exams is to select Shinobi worthy of becoming Chunin. These exams however also allow a place where the Shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs and fight against other ninja for their lives" the Third responded.

"Thus many leaders and people of power from other nations are invited to attend this exam. They may look for Shinobi to work for them; this exam could determine the path you take as ninja. These rulers and dignitaries will take note of your battles and the strengths each ninja has. Also the strength of our ninja will better our chances when it comes to negotiating with other countries" Sarutobi finished.

_Well, that was informative_; Sakura thought and looked around the room. Most people were frustrated; they wanted to know what the third exam would involve.

The Third Hokage cleared his throat and was about to speak again when a Jounin appeared in front of the platform and bowed deeply.

"Lord Hokage, before you explain the third exam please allow me, Hayate Gekko appointed proctor of this portion of the exam to speak first" Hayate asked humbly.

"Very well then" Sarutobi said.

Standing up Hayate greeted the candidates and then broke into a loud coughing fit. This lasted for a few minutes and Sakura didn't know whether to feel frustration or pity for the proctor.

"We have to have a preliminary exam before we can move onto the real one. Honestly we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the Chunin exams, a preliminary exam can be held at any stage in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining" Hayate said, the information was met with noises of disapproval and unfairness.

"It's just like Lord Hokage said, we will have a lot of important guests coming. We don't want to waste their time, they'll come to see the best of the best" Hayate finished and broke into another coughing fit.

_Preliminaries, well isn't that just great_, Sakura thought sarcastically. They didn't get a chance to rest and now the odds of Team 7 all making it into the third exams were reduced even more.

"Thus it's only natural for me to ask, if any of you are not feeling in top physical condition now is your chance to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately. Winners will be determined by one on one combat, sudden death" Hayate explained.

_There's nothing they can do to stop me! I'm in all the way believe it!_ Naruto thought determined to win.

_Does he really think anyone is going to – ugh!_ Sasuke stopped mid thought and clutched at the back of his neck. Waves of pain cascaded from the curse mark in more frequent bouts, shaking his whole body.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" Sakura asked, worried. Naruto too turned around and watched Sasuke cautiously.

"I-I'm fine. I can handle it. I'm not backing out. But can you do something, for the pain?" Sasuke asked gritting his teeth as another wave radiated from the mark.

_Pain, what pain?_ Naruto thought as he watched Sakura gather chakra to her hand.

Letting a little of her chakra brush over the mark, Sakura focused and placed her hand above it. The force was so strong she nearly fell backwards. The curse mark was like a leech, feeding of Sasuke's chakra and now hers. Sasuke hissed at the contact but allowed Sakura to proceed.

"Sasuke, I can't give you much. My chakra is being sucked out of me by it" Sakura spoke and Sasuke nodded, it had helped a little with the pain. Sarutobi watched the encounter.

_Well Tsunade, you have been busy. Sakura graduated top of her academy in chakra control and it seems your training has had an effect on her. It will be interesting to see how she will do and if she'll make it to the third exam. You should be proud of her,_ he thought and smiled a little at the fond memory of his former student.

Sakura withdrew her hand and Sasuke covered the mark, Naruto saw nothing of it. She watched the Uchiha boy with worry; the curse mark had felt like a giant magnet pulling her chakra in. How was Sasuke even standing, the mark was feeding off him. How was he going to fight in the preliminaries?

"It's feeding off you Sasuke, consuming you. I can feel the pull and that's just the chakra from my hand on it. I know you want to continue but I don't think it's wise" Sakura said quietly so Naruto wouldn't hear.

"I'm an avenger Sakura, for me this is more than just an exam. The title of Chunin means less than nothing to me. Am I as strong as I can be, all I want is the answer to that. I can only find it out by fighting the strongest and the best." Sasuke replied.

Sakura shook her head dejectedly; of course Sasuke wasn't going to back out. She could hardly blame him, they had come so far since the first exam. The avenger talk hurt because it reminded her of what Orochimaru had said. Ideally they should all make the third exam, as a team. It finally felt as though they were working well together.

_But I didn't want that to be at the expense of Sasuke's wellbeing_, Sakura thought and let out a quiet sigh.

"Okay, you got me I'm out" A voice called out cheerfully. Everyone looked up to see Kabuto had raised his hand.

"Kabuto Yakushi of the Leaf Village correct? Alright you can step back now" Hayate said, examining his clipboard.

"KABUTO! Hold on a second, you can't quit! What's going on!?" Naruto yelled out in frustration.

"Naruto I'm sorry, but my body is just too beat up. I can't handle it. I haven't been able to hear properly since my first encounter with the Sound Village ninja and to put my life on the line with that handicap doesn't seem right" Kabuto explained in a sad voice.

_This guy, again I feel it. There's something up with him_, Sasuke thought.

"This is not the first time I have seen this ninja before, is it?" Sarutobi asked. Anko quickly flicked through her list of candidates.

"Kabuto Yakushi says here he's failed six times in a row. His academy time was not impressive, average grades and three times before he passed the graduation exam. It also says here that he is the orphaned child from the battle of Kikyo Pass" Anko said.

"Kabuto! Where are you going? Have you forgotten Lord Orochimaru's orders?" one of his teammates asked.

"I'm leaving that all up to you now. What's the problem? With someone of your abilities there should be no trouble. It's your chance to prove yourself, like you've always wanted" Kabuto responded quietly and walked away.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged suspicious glances but Naruto looked disappointed as he watched Kabuto leave.

_Sorry Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura. Wish I could stay and play a little longer with you. But the old me might resurface and I can't have that. It would blow my cover and what good is a spy after that? Besides with Lord Orochimaru here, he doesn't need me_, Kabuto thought and pictured the Sound Jounin in his mind.

Seeing Kabuto had exited the room, Hayate coughed loudly and directed the attention of the candidates back to him.

"So last chance, does anyone else want to leave?" he asked.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, of course there was no way he was pulling out now. Neither was she, or Naruto. All of the Rookie 9 looked just as determined, in fact everyone did. Hayate sighed and readjusted his headband.

"Alright then, we'll now begin the preliminary round. This will consist of one on one individual combat at full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are now twenty of you remaining so we will need ten matches. Surviving candidates from these ten matches will advance to the third exam. There are no rules, you fight until one dies or concedes defeat or are physically incapable of continuing" Hayate said.

Looking around the room he found that everyone was listening attentively and coughed a few more times before continuing.

"As proctor I have some lead way, I can stop a match if the outcome seems hopeless for one person. The idea is to prevent as many fatalities as possible. Since we're all clear on that, let's see who's first" he finished and pointed towards one of the back walls.

"Open the panel" Anko said through her microphone as one of the walls began to rise up revealing a large digital screen.

"The names of the two opponents competing will be displayed before each match. These names are chosen at random so who you get is who you get. No questions asked. Well then, let's see who it's going to be" Hayate said and everyone looked at the screen.

The screen came to life and began randomising the names of all the candidates, Sakura held her breath. To go first would be interesting, it would be out of the way and all done. But because she had been instructed by Lord Hokage to assist Kakashi in sealing Sasuke's curse mark she needed to save her chakra.

If Sasuke was to fight before her, straight after his battle she and Kakashi would leave with him to remove the seal. That meant coming back for her own match, she would be chakra depleted. It was a disadvantage but Sakura knew she could rely on Tsunade's training and the strength of her chakra reserve as evident by the second exam.

If she were to fight before Sasuke there was no telling what could happen, there were ninja here that were much stronger than she was. The matches may come out a little uneven, she could get seriously beaten but that wasn't an option. She had to advance to the third exam, as proof to Tsunade and her parents and her teammates that she was getting stronger.

To finish her own fight first and then to assist Kakashi would mean she would have little to no chakra. Truthfully she would prefer Sasuke to fight first. The names began to slow down and finally came to a stop. Sakura's eyes widened and Naruto looked at the screen enviously. Sasuke smirked.

**Sasuke Uchiha vs Yoroi Akado**

* * *

><p><em>They didn't waste any time did they?<em> Sasuke thought as he watched his name flicker on the screen. The mark on his neck pulsed in pain but the Uchiha boy continued to smirk.

_I couldn't ask for anything more_, Yorio thought as he recalled what Kabuto had said to him. This was his chance.

"Right, those whose names have been called step forward" Hayate said.

Sasuke turned to Sakura and shot her a small smile. "I'll be fine" he said quietly. Sakura nodded and attempted to return the smile but it was difficult.

"Good luck" she whispered back and Sasuke smirked. Exchanging determined glances with Naruto, the Uchiha boy faced off against Yorio in front of Hayate.

"You two have been chosen for the first battle of the preliminary round. Are there any objections?" Hayate asked and coughed a little.

"None here" Sasuke said, deadpan.

"No" Yorio replied.

_You better win Sasuke, if we're ever going to fight as equals_, Naruto thought.

_Now all I can do is watch this and hope the mark stays under wraps I guess_, Sakura mused.

"Well let's begin, everyone other than the two opposing candidates will now clear the arena and move to the balconies above to observe the fight" Hayate said.

Slowly everyone began to move to the upper levels, Sakura and Naruto lingered with Sasuke a little longer. Kakashi made his way over to his genin students.

"HEY HEY! KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto called out cheerfully but Kakashi had his eye on Sasuke.

"Sasuke, don't use your Sharingan" Kakashi muttered.

"So you know about it huh?" Sasuke asked monotone and quickly glanced at Sakura.

"Yes. Sakura informed me but I'm not here to stop you from participating. If the mark on your neck gets out of control, your life could be in danger" Kakashi replied.

"I'm aware of that" Sasuke said, slightly annoyed at the lecture from his sensei.

"Just to let you know, if that happens. I will step in and stop the fight, regardless of the result" Kakashi said and headed for the balcony followed by Sakura and Naruto.

_He'd stop the fight? Like Sakura says, this mark feeds off my chakra. Because the Sharingan takes a lot of chakra to activate, the mark will respond to that. It gains more control over me and I can't let that happen. I've got to fight without my Sharingan. My own jutsu is off limits too. How am I going to do this?_ Sasuke thought as he stared at Yorio.

Orochimaru disguised as the Sound Jounin squad leader, crossed his arms in front of his chest and smirked at the proceedings below accompanied by Dosu, Zaku and Kin.

_Poor Sasuke, Yorio's skills are going to be disastrous for you. Let's see if the mark I gave you will be the death of you_, he thought.

"Now if you're ready, let the match begin" Hayate said and stepped backwards allowing the two candidates room to fight.

"Oh I'm ready" Yorio said darkly and pressed his fingers into a jutsu starting position.

"So am I" Sasuke said, getting into a fighting stance.

Yorio activated his jutsu and a ball of chakra ignited from his hand and flickered violently. Reaching behind him into his ninja pouch he drew three ninja stars. Sensing the impending attack Sasuke quickly reached for his kunai.

Wasting no time, Yorio flung the ninja stars and Sasuke countered them with a strike of his kunai but he fell to the ground as the curse mark pulsed causing him serious pain. The ninja stars were on a collision course with their owner but Yorio quickly disappeared and then reappeared next to Sasuke. Using the chakra he had collected in his fist, Yorio sent a strike downwards to Sasuke but the Uchiha boy quickly rolled out of the way.

_Sasuke's opponent is good at chakra manipulation_, Sakura thought as she recognised the familiar technique Tsunade had taught her.

Thinking quickly Sasuke shoved his kunai into the ground and manipulated his body around it. He managed to knock Yorio off his feet and onto the arena floor. Sasuke held him down with his legs in a grapple type manoeuvre.

"He got him!" Naruto yelled out happily but Sakura could see Sasuke visibly shaking from the force of having to hold his opponent down.

"Oh really?" Yorio asked.

His arm was pinned down on Sasuke's chest but he activated chakra to his fist and took a hold of Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke felt his strength leave him as Yorio released his arm from Sasuke's grip and delivered a hard blow to the Uchiha boy's sternum.

Jumping back a little Yorio prepared his chakra for a second attack. Sakura watched as Sasuke twitched on the ground, looking like he wanted to get up but couldn't.

"Sasuke! Get up!" Sakura called out.

Hearing Sakura's voice, Sasuke's eyes opened immediately and his body shot up but he wasn't fast enough to get away. Yorio's chakra fist pressed straight into Sasuke's forehead causing him to fall to the ground. Using two hands Sasuke attempted to push Yorio's hand off.

_It's no use! My arms they feel like jelly. I have no strength!_ Sasuke thought as his attempt failed and both arms flopped uselessly to the side.

"M-my chakra, what are you doing!? You're feeding off it!" Sasuke exclaimed as Yorio pushed his chakra infused hand further onto his forehead.

"So you've finally figured it out huh?" Yorio smirked and continued to absorb Sasuke's chakra with his hand.

_It's about time you caught on Sasuke. Yorio's ability allows him to consume an opponent's mental and physical energies simply by pressing his palm to any part of their body. My dear Sasuke, once all of your chakra has been devoured you will have no choice but to unleash my cursed mark!_ Orochimaru thought with repressed joy.

_That guy, at first I thought he was using the chakra as a combination weapon. But he's absorbing Sasuke's chakra! _Sakura thought and immediately froze. This could mean the appearance of the cursed seal and the match would be over.

"No I can't let this guy just steal my chakra! I have to – ugh! GET OFF ME!" Sasuke yelled and gathered what strength he could to kick his opponent in the stomach, freeing himself from the jutsu.

"Well, looks like you have some strength left after all. But it won't help you for long. Don't worry I'll make this short and sweet" Yorio said and activated his jutsu again.

Sasuke dodged and weaved as best he could, but staggered under the strain of little chakra and the pain of the curse mark.

_So this is the great Sasuke Uchiha, is that all he's got?_ Gaara thought as he watched the battle, bored.

"Come on Sasuke!" Ino called out loudly from the balcony but Sasuke didn't even turn to acknowledge her, Ino pouted in response. He needed a plan or else he was done for.

Sakura's mind was in overdrive. Sasuke had no chakra left, if he tried to use what he had the curse mark would take it all. He didn't have his usual chakra enhanced speed so he couldn't avoid Yorio forever nor could he do well in close quarters combat. At a time like this, the use of the Sharingan was out of the question.

"Sasuke!" Sakura's voice rang clear across the arena. Sasuke turned immediately and glanced up at his teammate.

"You need to find another way to beat Yorio, avoiding him isn't an option. You need to confront him head on, think outside the box! You can do it!" Sakura yelled and Sasuke looked at her carefully.

_She's trying to give me a clue to what I should do,_ he thought and nodded at his teammate and smiled a little.

_Sakura, you little witch. Calling out to him like that! _Ino thought and her eyes narrowed jealously.

"Sakura's right! C'mon Sasuke you can't let this guy win! What happened to the Uchiha clan and their greatness huh?" Naruto bellowed and Sasuke winced.

_Lee's standing right next to him I can't understand why he doesn't just hit- wait! Lee!_ Sasuke thought and his eyes widened. That was how he could win the fight!

"I'll teach you to turn your back on me kid!" Yorio said angrily and charged forward with his jutsu in hand. He took fast strikes at Sasuke which were dodged quickly. Before anyone knew it, Sasuke had disappeared completely.

_Hey, where did he go? _Yorio wondered.

"Down here!" Sasuke called out and aimed a hefty upwards jaw kick which sent Yorio flying.

_That's my move!_ Lee thought as he watched Sasuke execute the technique perfectly. Sakura watched shocked and slightly impressed. Without activating the Sharingan, Sasuke had recalled the move he had copied from Lee.

Immediately crouching on all fours like Lee had done, Sasuke shot up into the air and materialised underneath Yorio.

"Okay I'll come clean, the first part of this move I sort of borrowed. But from here on out it's all my own stuff" Sasuke said and put two fingers against Yorio's back.

"Huh! The Dancing Leaf Shadow!?" Yorio exclaimed.

"Alright now take this – ARGH!" Sasuke yelled in pain as the curse mark began to pulse and activate. He could feel the flames spewing out and engulfing his face.

_No! Not again! It keeps getting stronger and stronger,_ Sasuke thought as he attempted to control it but cried out in pain again.

Orochimaru smirked, the mark had been activated at last. Sakura watched in horror as the familiar black flames began to spread over Sasuke's neck and face.

"_Sasuke stop! This isn't you! What are you doing!?" _

"_STAY OUT OF MY WAY SAKURA!"_

"_You call yourself an Uchiha, Teme?"_

Sasuke stiffened at the memories, because of the curse mark he had pushed Sakura to the ground when she had fought so hard to keep him alive. He was not worthy of the Uchiha name, Naruto was right. Letting this curse mark control him that was not what the Uchiha clan would have condoned.

"I'm not about to let this thing take over! No way! I promised I wouldn't!" Sasuke said and the curse mark began to recede at Sasuke's resistance to it.

The orange flames which had burned across his face left almost instantly, the mark lost its orange pulsing light and returned to its black colouring.

_The curse mark, its receeded! _Anko thought, completely shocked at the will power of the Uchiha boy.

"Right, here we go!" Sasuke said and put his hand on Yorio's back. Twisting his left leg up Sasuke kicked the opposing ninja hard in the side.

"Hmph try again little man" Yorio taunted as he had managed to block the kick with his forearm.

Sasuke twisted around again and brought the sheer weight of his right arm crashing down hard on Yorio's neck. Yorio didn't move or make a sound, Sasuke took this as a good sign. He had the final finishing blow and he was close enough to the ground to make it work.

Pushing himself up and hovered a little in mid-air over Yorio, Sasuke propelled his right leg down and hit his opponent hard in the stomach.

"LION'S BARRAGE!" Sasuke yelled as he delivered the hit, causing Yorio to hit the ground face up. Sasuke skidded back and rolled over himself. Neither candidate moved.

Hayate walked over slowly and examined Yorio. _Well this one is out_, he thought. Suddenly his head snapped up as he heard a groan from the Uchiha boy.

Completely out of breath but still alive, Sasuke got to his feet and wiped the blood away from his lips. Sakura smiled, against all odds he had been able to pull through.

"I'm declaring this match over, the winner of the first preliminary battle is Sasuke Uchiha. He will advance to the final round" Hayate said and coughed violently.

"ALRIGHT SASUKE WAY TO GO!" Naruto yelled out with huge grin plastered on his face.

"It looks like we're up Sakura" Kakashi said quietly.

"Right" Sakura replied.

"Huh? Where are you two going!?" Naruto asked, frantically.

"Sakura and I are going to take Sasuke to a hospital within this tower, Sakura needs the exposure for her medical ninjutsu training" Kakashi explained to the blond boy.

"Oh, well are you going to be here to see me fight!? And what about Sakura-chan's match?" Naruto quizzed.

"Lord Hokage will not start Sakura's match until she has returned, if it is announced while we are gone then the match will go to the back of the queue. We won't be too long Naruto and we should be back to see you fight" Kakashi said, trying to reassure his loud student.

"Wait, Sakura before you go. Did anyone see any weird marks on Sasuke's neck during the fight?" Naruto questioned his teammate suspiciously.

"No, sorry Naruto. I didn't see anything" Sakura replied quickly, Kakashi looked at his female student but said nothing.

With that Sakura jumped down onto the arena floor, Sasuke saw her approaching and gave her a confused look.

_I'm so exhausted_, he thought and would have collapsed onto the floor had it not been for Kakashi's sudden appearance in a cloud of white smoke. He propped Sasuke up with his knee.

"Well, not too bad. Up until the Lion's Barrage your technique was very similar to Gai's taijutsu. I'm assuming you used the Sharingan to copy Rock Lee's moves when you two battled before the Chunin Exams" Kakashi said, nose in his orange book.

"Hn. Sakura" Sasuke said, ignoring his sensei.

"Congratulations, you did well" Sakura said.

"Yeah, thanks for the hint before" Sasuke smirked up at her and Sakura laughed lightly.

_What is little miss Forehead doing down there now? She'll take every chance she can to get close to Sasuke won't she! _Ino fumed inwardly.

_Amazing, Sasuke only saw my move once and he was able to copy it perfectly with his Sharingan_, Lee thought in utter shock as he observed Sasuke from the balcony above.

_That was magnificent!_ Orochimaru thought, his long tongue escaping the caverns of his mouth and ran over his lips.

Sakura watched as two medics came and lifted Yorio onto a stretcher and carried him off to the infirmary. Another medic approached herself, Kakashi and Sasuke.

"Sasuke Uchiha, you'll need to come with us back to the infirmary so we can treat your injuries" the medic said.

"I think you're out of your league with this one, besides Sakura and I will take care of him" Kakashi declared, eyes never leaving his book.

Sasuke shot Sakura an accusing look but Sakura just shrugged it off. She bent down and put Sasuke's arm around her shoulder to help him stand up.

"Where are we going?" Sasuke asked, a little annoyed.

"We've got to seal that curse mark!" Kakashi answered in a low and serious voice

"Before the preliminaries are over!? I want to see Sakura and Naruto's battles, and to see who goes on to the finals!" Sasuke complained and his female teammate rolled her eyes.

"Forget it, don't even think of arguing. If we leave it any longer who knows what will happen, it may be too late. I've cut you enough slack, so cooperate with us" Kakashi said, making the final decision.

Sasuke huffed but stood up with Sakura's assistance, finally able to relax he trudged alongside her with Kakashi bringing up the rear as all three exited the arena.

* * *

><p>Kakashi sliced his finger tip open with a kunai knife and began writing a series of symbols along Sasuke's shirtless back, connecting them all to the curse mark. These were the same symbols that littered the ground for the sealing spell, circles drawn with kunai stretched out among the ground symbols. Sasuke sat in the middle of all of this.<p>

Kakashi had directed them into an isolated room within the tower where Lord Hokage had given them permission to perform the sealing.

Sakura knelt in front of her teammate, chakra flowing freely from her right hand as she covered the major wounds on Sasuke's body stitching the skin back together. Sasuke breathed in deeply, Sakura's chakra had a cooling effect on his body and he felt more relaxed immediately. Kakashi had explained to both his students that sealing spell would take a lot out of Sasuke, thus it was important for Sakura to heal what she could of him.

"I think we're ready to go, Sakura you need to step outside of the circle. Keep an eye on Sasuke's vitals and if you see any sort of major drop you need to intervene" Kakashi instructed.

"Got it" Sakura said and walked to the outer edge of the circle.

"Sakura" Sasuke said in an exhausted tone, he missed her chakra and soothing presence instantly.

"I'm right here Sasuke, you'll be fine. This is the best way for you to deal with this mark" Sakura said in a calm voice.

"This will be quick don't worry. You ready? " Kakashi asked and Sasuke nodded slowly.

The silver haired man performed a quick series of hand signs before resting his hand on the curse mark.

"FUJAHOIN! THE SEALING OF THE CURSE!" Kakashi called out loudly.

Sakura watched in fascination as all the symbols her sensei had drawn on the ground in his own blood crawled up Sasuke's arms and back to connect at the curse mark. Sasuke screamed in pain, a sound which made Sakura cringe inwardly.

Maintaining her vital check, Sakura could see Sasuke's chakra was low but not to the point of drastic. He just radiated exhaustion, he needed to rest. Kakashi withdrew his hand, the sealing was over. All the marks had combined to form a black circle around the curse mark.

"There, the next time the curse mark begins to activate the seal should keep it in check. But the curse sealing jutsu is only as strong as you are, it holds because of your will power. If you ever start to doubt yourself the curse will be unleashed in all its fury" Kakashi explained and Sasuke suddenly fell forward.

Sakura quickly rushed to Sasuke's aid but found he had reached his limit of exhaustion and passed out.

"I've never seen him like this, too tired to argue" Kakashi chuckled.

"My, how you've grown Kakashi, to think you've become strong enough to perform the sealing jutsu" A familiar voice said from the back of the room.

_It's him, Orochimaru! He's come for Sasuke!_ Sakura thought and quickly shielded Sasuke's collapsed body. The voice chuckled at her response.

"It's you" Kakashi said calmly.

"It's been a long time huh Kakashi, hello again to you Sakura. I see you're still healthy and well, and look even assisting your teacher with your chakra abilities. Wonderful" Orochimaru said, licking his lips in anticipation.

_Sakura? Has he got some sort of sick design on her too_, the silver haired man thought but his female student seemed to be holding up well. No curse mark or sign of manipulation from Orochimaru.

"What are you doing here!?" Kakashi demanded.

"Well no offence Kakashi, I didn't come to see you. My business is with the boy the young lady guards so fiercely" Orochimaru said and Sakura narrowed her eyes at the snake man.

"What do you want with Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

"Ah, you've acquired something new since we last met, how I envy your good fortune Kakashi. The Sharingan in your left eye, after all it's only fair that I should want it too. The power of the Uchiha clan" Orochimaru replied.

_Kakashi-sensei acquired the Sharingan? And he's met Orochimaru before?_ Sakura thought.

"What's your game?" Kakashi pressed.

"The Sound Village that everyone is so curious about, I created it. I think you'll understand that Kakashi, but to play the game as you put it I need pieces on the chessboard. Willing pawns to do my bidding" Orochimaru chuckled slightly.

"And Sasuke, he's one of these pawns?" Sakura asked angrily and Orochimaru turned to look at her.

"Oh no my dear Sakura, your precious Sasuke is not a pawn. He's far more valuable than that, but as for the others. Well I'm sure you know how chess works, pieces must be sacrificed!" Orochimaru hissed.

With this, the snake man began to take careful slow steps towards Kakashi, looking straight through him at Sakura and the ultimate prize, Sasuke.

"STOP DON'T COME A STEP CLOSER!" Kakashi yelled and took up a fighting stance, one arm dangled between his legs, his other arm supporting it. Sakura watched her sensei with wide eyes, she'd never seen him lose his cool before.

Suddenly a huge burst of chakra formed a ball of light in Kakashi's palm, the noise sounded like millions of birds screeching at a high pitch frequency.

_W-what jutsu is that?_ Sakura wondered.

"I don't care if you are one of the Sanin, the three shinobi of legend. I swear, take one more step towards Sasuke and one of us will die here!" Kakashi spat.

Orochimaru began to laugh a loud sadistic laugh which echoed around the room. "What say you Sakura? Will you defend poor Sasuke's life with your brave and noble sensei over here?" he taunted.

"Damn straight I will, like Kakashi-sensei said you take one step more step towards Sasuke and someone will die here. Hopefully it's you" Sakura replied angrily and drew out her kunai.

"Such a fiery girl! Reminds me of my dear teammate. Your loyalty is strong Sakura, I am very impressed with you. As for you Kakashi, your noble efforts are all in vain here. Do you really believe the seal will hold, do either of you believe you can keep him from what he desires most? He is an avenger after all" Orochimaru said, keeping his distance.

Kakashi's technique continued to spark and the noise became more intense. "So, you think you can use that against him? Not Sasuke, no way" he replied.

"You cannot stop it, at some point he will come to me in search of power. Unless of course you carry out your threat to kill me, now is your chance" Orochimaru said and walked away.

Kakashi's technique vanished instantly, Sakura watched as Orochimaru gave her sensei the opportunity to attack. When Kakashi did not do this, the snake man vanished.

_What was I thinking, one of us will die here? Endanger my students, how foolish of me_, Kakashi thought.

"Kakashi-sensei, I think we should take Sasuke to the infirmary now" Sakura spoke quietly.

Seeing Orochimaru again had made her very uneasy. Especially with all the hints he had been throwing around about her being of interest to him, Kakashi did not need to hear that.

"Right, I will communicate what has happened with Lord Hokage and request that the Anbu Black Ops guard him carefully" Kakashi replied.

Both ninja lifted Sasuke up carefully, putting a hand to his lips Kakashi cleared the room of all traces of the sealing spell before transporting himself and his students to the infirmary.

* * *

><p>"Ah man! There have been some seriously good fights so far and I just want to get into it already! Where are Kakashi and Sakura!?" Naruto ranted at Lee who was standing next to him.<p>

"Yo" A voice came from behind, the blond boy turned quickly to see that Kakashi and Sakura had appeared in a puff of smoke curtsey of Kakashi.

"Kakashi sensei! Sakura-chan! How is the teme?" Naruto called out, overjoyed to see his teammate and sensei.

"Sasuke is sleeping in the infirmary, safe and sound" Kakashi said and Naruto grinned.

"Have you had a chance to fight yet Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"No not yet but the last couple of matches have been pretty intense. Shino went up against that Zaku guy, Shino one by using those creepy bugs of his to gain an advantage. The match just before you guys cam was between that Kankuro guy and the other one of Kabuto's teammates Misumi somebody. Anyway Kankuro used that thing on his back which turned out to be a puppet and totally crushed Misumi with it!" Naruto finished, he had spoken very fast and paused to take in a breath.

"I see, so you two still have to fight. I wonder who you will be matched up against" Kakashi mused.

_I still have enough chakra to battle properly, but that encounter with Orochimaru has definitely been a distraction. Are those Anbu Black Ops going to be enough, what if he tries to take Sasuke from the infirmary?_ Sakura thought, looking at the ground and not paying attention.

"Sakura" Kakashi said, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Hm, sorry sensei what did you say?" Sakura asked, still a little distracted.

"You're up" the silver haired man replied simply.

"Alright Sakura you can totally do this!" Naruto cheered as Sakura gazed up at the digital screen.

**Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka**

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><p>Hi everyone!<p>

I've reached just over 300 reviews for this story! Thank you all so much, you guys are the best for sticking with me! :D

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I think it's the longest I've written thus far ^^ Thanks to everyone who has been following me and this story as well as reviewing! Any who hope I did alright for the first part of the preliminaries; I should be able to finish them up in the next chapter. Expect it soon!


	25. Preliminaries Part 2

The Turning Point

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><p>Sakura and Ino squared off on the arena floor, Hayate stood between them ready to commence the fight. In spite of herself Sakura couldn't help feeling slightly nervous. Although she had been training with Tsunade and Team 7 it was obvious that Ino had been training as well. Witnessing the abilities of her teammates in the battle against the Sound Ninja, Sakura wondered what Ino would be showcasing.<p>

The only ability Sakura had seen from her rival was her Mind Transfer Jutsu that Inner had prevented from taking over. But Inner hadn't made much of an appearance since the preliminaries had begun, who was to say that she would be able to prevent the jutsu from taking over her mind.

_Ino was the stronger of the two of us in the academy. I surpassed her in the intellectual exams but she excelled further than I did in combat_, Sakura thought.

"I didn't think I'd be fighting you Sakura, at least not this soon. But I'm warning you I won't go easy on you" Ino stated. Sakura said nothing in response.

"Man, of all the people in the world for Ino to go up against why did it have to be Sakura?" Shikamaru asked out loud, recalling the kunoichi's fight before the second exam.

"GO SAKURA! YOU CAN DO IT! DON'T LOSE!" Naruto called from the balcony above. Sakura nodded and pulled on the black gloves Tsunade had given her.

"Well, whenever you're ready, you can start" Hayate said and moved back.

Immediately Sakura and Ino charged towards each other, deciding she'd best play it safe to begin with Sakura aimed a kick at Ino's head. Ino quickly ducked and avoided the attack before responding in kind with a punch. Sakura saw it coming a mile away and raised her forearm to block it. She then tried a basic leg sweep which Ino jumped over with ease.

Ino then threw three kunai, Sakura caught one as it traveled through the air and deflected the other two with ease. It was obvious to both female ninja that the other was holding back, partly because of their strong past and partly because of their exhaustion from the second exams.

_I won't bring out my new skills until Ino decides to stop pitying me and fight me properly!_ Sakura thought and narrowed her eyes.

_She's holding back! Dammit Sakura, stop acting like you're better than me!_ Ino glared at her long-time rival.

Both girls ran at each other but neither changed up their attacks and the hand to hand martial arts combat continued. Asuma and Kakashi watched both of their students silently. Naruto watched Sakura hopefully, his teammate was doing well! He knew Sakura could win against Ino no trouble.

"Is that it? Is that as good as kunoichi can get in hand to hand combat?" Neji asked no one in particular.

"What did you say!?" Naruto asked angrily ready to step in and defend his teammate.

"Seriously Neji? It's obvious they're going easy on each other. Don't you remember? They were really good friends once" Tenten spoke up.

_Ino and Sakura? I can't really remember them being friends they were always fighting over the Teme_, Naruto recalled.

The close hand combat became a lot faster and harder, Sakura was successfully blocking all of the moves Ino threw at her but she could feel her pace slowing. The temptation to use a chakra punch was strong but Sakura wanted it to be a fair fight with both herself and Ino giving it their all. Ino, seeing Sakura's momentary lapse in concentration threw a punch directly to her stomach.

Immediately the pink haired kunoichi recoiled and bent over a little. Why hadn't she been paying attention? The hit was basic but it had enough force to wind her. Ino cocked her fist and went to deliver another hard punch but she stopped.

Looking at her rival bent over and in pain, Ino didn't see the Sakura who was her greatest competition for Sasuke's affections. She saw the small little girl with the wide forehead that used to trail after her in the academy. Her best friend.

Before she even knew what she was doing herself Ino had opened her clenched fist and slapped Sakura across the face. Both girls looked at each other in horror, Ino stared at her hand in disbelief. The early academy years were at the forefront of both of their minds, particularly the lesson in flower arranging. It was part of the kunoichi concealment lessons they had been taught, the purpose being for when a kunochi was trapped behind enemy lines and needed to blend in with the local female customs.

Sakura followed Ino around everywhere, it was clear she looked up to her. Ino was strong and popular whereas Sakura was weak and shy. The flower arranging had been going well although Sakura was embarrassed because Ino could do everything perfectly and knew all the names of the flowers. But Sakura knew nothing about flowers at all. But after an explanation from Ino, Sakura had sat in the middle of the flower field with all of her classmates and happily picked the flowers.

That was until Ami and her friends had come along; they began to tease her because of her forehead and told her that she wasn't at all special. But Ino wouldn't have any of it; she threw flowers into Ami's mouth and called her a jar because she was so empty headed. Ino was brave and strong and not afraid to be Sakura's friend. That was what Sakura admired most about her.

It was also the first time she had heard her Inner. The voice was loud and quick tempered but it spoke the truth.

"**WHAT DID SHE JUST DO TO US? BACK OFF ABOUT THE FOREHEAD WILL YA!" **It had shouted, and Sakura had instinctively covered her ears which made Ino giggle.

"I-Ino did you hear that?" Sakura asked timidly.

"Hear what Sakura? If you mean Ami crying and running away to tell the teacher then I'm pretty sure the whole class heard it!" Ino exclaimed happily.

Sakura wondered about the voice for the rest of the lesson, if Ino couldn't hear it then it must be in her head. Like a friend inside of her head! Sakura smiled at the thought of another friend to protect her from all the bullies at the academy!

She learned a lot about her Inner from then on. Like the fact that it wasn't a good idea to shout out Inner's thoughts herself, otherwise she would get into a lot of trouble. But Inner was always there; sometimes her thoughts would come out when Sakura was mad. The other kids at the academy soon grew scared of the fiery temper that the little girl had suddenly developed.

But it was a combination of Inner plus the confidence that Ino had given her that allowed her to progress through the academy and to the preliminaries right now!

_There's no way I'm losing to Ino! This is my chance to show her how far I've come! I need to win and make it to the preliminaries for my team, for my parents, for Tsunade-sama but most importantly myself!_ _To get Ino to fight me properly I need to hit her where it hurts!_ Sakura thought and clenched her gloved hand.

"Listen up Ino, this fighting over Sasuke business is done. We're not his type; he doesn't look at either of us. I'm not going to fight you for him. I want to be a powerful kunoichi and to be honest you're not on my radar as a worthy opponent anymore" Sakura said with conviction.

"Sakura! You had better watch your step, mouthing off to me like that! Don't push your like I'm going to become a powerful kunoichi as well and Sasuke has got nothing to do with it! UGH! Billboard Brow!" Ino spat back in anger.

"What is Sakura-chan doing!? She's got Ino all mad now, isn't that out of line?" Naruto asked Kakashi completely confused.

"Hm, I guess it is a little. But there is more to it than that. Sakura isn't the type to needlessly flaunt her own power or hurt people callously. But she doesn't want into to take pity on her in this fight" Kakashi explained.

Sakura studied Ino carefully, the blond girl was absolutely angry enough now to give it her all. Reaching up the pink haired ninja untied her headband that sat between her forehead and her ponytail. She drew it out in front of her and Ino's eyes widened. They had made a pact after Sakura had been put on the same team as Sasuke. They wouldn't lose to each other and Sakura had tried to give Ino back the ribbon she had lent her to tie her bangs away from her forehead.

They had promised each other, shaking hands and holding the ribbon that when they wore their forehead protectors on their foreheads they would be true shinobi. Ready to fight each other without either one losing to the other.

"Alright Sakura I got the message loud and clear" Ino said and reached for her headband as well.

Both female ninja secured the headbands across their foreheads tightly and faced off against each other once more.

"This time we do things right. No holding back. Got it?" Sakura said determinedly.

"Yeah I got it let's do this" Ino replied, equally as determined.

Sakura quickly ran forward making the familiar clone hand jutsu, two clones appeared and they charged straight for Ino with Sakura running somewhere amongst them.

"Seriously? You think you can take me on with a basic ninja art like that?" Ino called out and stopped completely.

_If I look close enough I can spot the real one_, she thought but Sakura was way ahead of her.

_Chakra to my feet for an extra boost of speed before Ino sees me through the clones and a little chakra to my fist to give her a taste of what's to come. Perfect_, Sakura smirked and sped up.

Ino had spotted the real Sakura but it was too late, the two clones disappeared and Sakura hurtled forward with her chakra fist heading straight for Ino. The punch connected and Ino skidded along the arena floor and landed face down.

_From the beginning Sakura's been exceptional at chakra control but now it's clear how far she's improved. Timing a jutsu and being able to focus the chakra to her feet for speed and her fist for a powerful strike. She's surpassed Sasuke and Naruto and most of the genin here_, Kakashi mused as he watched his student.

They fought like this for some time. Ino would get the upper hand in the fight but Sakura would come back just as strong. Sakura refrained from using her chakra infused techniques as her chakra supply was dwindling dangerously. They had been fighting for ten minutes without someone taking the upper hand permanently and both kunoichi were breathing heavily.

"ENOUGH! I'm putting an end to this right now. There's no way you're going to beat me!" Ino yelled loudly and brought her hands in front of her to form a circle.

Sakura's eyes widened, it was the same jutsu Ino had used in the written exam to try and invade her head. She would hit her with the mind jutsu and Sakura would be forced into surrender.

"**THERE'S NO WAY INO-PIG IS GETTING IN HERE! CHA!" **Inner yelled triumphantly.

_I see you're back then_, Sakura said.

"**Damn right I am! Remember, Ino was there but so was I when you had no one! We're not losing to her or anyone else ever again! No one is going to push us around anymore! Not Sasuke or Kakashi or those kids from the academy and especially not her!" **Inner declared angrily.

_Right. Let's do this then. That mind transfer jutsu is useless because Ino needs a still target to get an accurate hit. I'm running out of chakra so we need to end this and soon. I'll try my best to avoid her jutsu but if by some strange miracle she does get a hit, can you keep her out?_ Sakura asked Inner.

"**HELL YEAH I CAN! LIKE I SAID I DID IT ONCE I CAN DO IT AGAIN!"** Inner exploded eyes full of fire.

"The Mind Transfer Jutsu? Really? I know you're frustrated but this is desperation Ino. You can't hope to hit me I won't stay still. Not like you tried in the exams. Besides we all know that failed" Sakura said confidently.

"Shut up! Stop lecturing me about my own jutsu. I'll never know until I try! You were lucky once that whatever the hell that thing is protected you but you're not going to escape this time!" Ino spat back, trying to get Sakura within her line of sight.

"Alright, have it your way!" Sakura said and began to move around the arena, avoiding the attack.

_There's no way she'll hit her, the chances of it succeeding are astronomical_, Asuma thought. Ino was a strong competitor but Sakura had the upper hand now as result of Ino's desperation.

_She keeps moving! I need to hit her!_ Ino thought angrily.

Sakura moved fast, keeping her eye on her rival and the position of her hands making sure to stay out of the jutsu's grasp. But she couldn't keep this up, moving around and wasting chakra. She needed a plan and fast.

Suddenly the unthinkable happened, losing her footing in the middle of avoiding Ino's line of fire Sakura fell and hit the arena floor. Ino smirked her rival had made a crucial mistake and now the match was hers.

"Sakura! Quickly get up!" Naruto called out in despair as everyone on the upper level watched Ino line up her jutsu with her target.

_Why isn't she getting up? Could she be out of chakra? No it couldn't be that_, _a trip like that wouldn't have been devastating. Unless? Well, how about that huh?_ Kakashi thought and smirked slightly but remained silent.

"Looks it's finally over, once Ino activates this jutsu Sakura is as good as done for" Shikamaru said and Choji nodded.

"Time to finish this Sakura! Get ready to withdraw! Mind Substitution Jutsu!" Ino said loudly and activated her jutsu.

The pink haired teen attempted to get up but no avail as the mind jutsu made contact with its target. But nothing happened. Ino's spirit remained within her body much to her shock and disbelief.

"INO! What are you doing!? Quit playing around and activate the jutsu!" Shikamaru yelled out to his teammate.

"I-I'm trying! It's not working!" Ino replied, confused and horrified that her jutsu had failed.

_It should have worked! Why didn't it work!? I've got to strike while she's down!_ Ino thought and reached for her ninja pouch.

"Fine! If I can't take over your mind to win this fight then I'll end it with this!" Ino said and drawing out a kunai she flung it straight at the pink haired kunoichi.

"SAKURA! HOW CAN YOU JUST LIE THERE LIKE THAT! GET UP AND FIGHT!" Naruto screamed with all his might.

"Naruto! Hold your tongue! Do you want to get us thrown out?" Kakashi chastised.

"But Kakashi-sensei, Sakura's going to lose! She came so far and Ino's going to win!" Naruto exclaimed unhappily.

"Are you sure about that? I wouldn't count Sakura out just yet" Kakashi said and turned his attention back to the fight.

Ino's kunai hit its target but instead of an anguished cry all that was heard was a dull hollow sound. Sakura's beaten and struggling body had turned into a large chunk of wood.

"A substitution jutsu!?" Ino gasped in shock.

"Yeah that's right, substitution. Now you're going to pay big time" Sakura said from behind Ino.

_Just as I thought, a clever and well thought out move. Now Sakura has the upper hand, let's see what she'll do with it_, Kakashi thought as Naruto grinned happily.

_This girl, I knew when we met her and her teammates that she was something interesting. Her chakra control is exceptional. I hope she makes it to the finals because I know I'll be there and I want to fight her, _Temari thought.

"ALRIGHT SAKURA!" Naruto called out in encouragement.

"A substitution jutsu! Just what I would expect from my youthful cherry blossom!" Lee exclaimed happily.

"This has gone on for way too long! Take this!" Sakura yelled sending chakra to her fist she hit her long-time rival hard.

Ino's body crumpled forward and sailed above the floor before crashing into a crumpled heap. Sakura took in a shaky breath; it looked as though Ino was done. But the blond girl rose shakily to her feet and wiped the blood from her lip and used her last burst of chakra to run forward, fist outstretched.

Sakura charged forward too as Ino's punch reached a close proximity to her face, Sakura twisted her arm back earning a grunt of pain from Ino. With her last ounce of chakra the pink haired teen aimed a chakra infused kick at Ino's solar plexus. The attack connected and Ino fell face first onto the arena floor unable to get up.

Sinking to her knees Sakura breathed deeply. She had nothing more to give; Ino had been a strong competitor. If she were somehow able to continue fighting Sakura wasn't sure how long she would last. Silence engulfed the arena as everyone waited for the final verdict; Hayate approached Ino and crouched down to examine her.

"Ino Yamanaka is unable to continue. Therefore the fourth battle of the preliminaries goes to Sakura Haruno who will continue into the final exam" he said calmly.

"SAKURA-CHAN YOU DID IT!" Naruto exclaimed and pumped his fist in victory.

Smiling slightly Sakura returned the gesture. Asuma quickly jumped down onto the arena floor and picked up an unconscious Ino before returning to the balcony. Sakura got to her feet and attempted to make her way towards the staircase but she was completely out of chakra.

"Sakura Haruno, do you require time in the infirmary?" A medic asked.

"No I think she'll be just fine she just needs to rest up a little" Kakashi said, appearing out of thin air.

"Yes I'll be fine when I regain some chakra I can heal my injuries myself" Sakura replied.

The medic walked away grumbling about Kakashi and his unwillingness to send people to the infirmary. The silver haired man ignored this and helped his student to her feet. Both ninja made their way up to the balcony.

"Sakura are you okay?" Naruto asked as his sensei and his teammate re-joined the group.

"I'm alright, just tired and down on chakra is all" Sakura said, managing a tired smile.

"You truly did well Sakura!" Lee exclaimed happily.

"I think we should let her rest don't you all? Perhaps you should take a seat next to Ino for a few minutes" Kakashi gestured and motioned for Sakura to sit next to Ino who had already awoken.

Sakura sat next to her childhood best friend and rival as the digital screen lit up again to announce the next match between Temari and Tenten.

"Forehead" Ino said quietly.

"Pig" Sakura replied as Gai and Lee took up a loud chant about Tenten's youthfulness.

"I can't believe I lost to you" Ino said disappointed.

"If it helps you gave me a hard time. And we were pretty evenly matched" Sakura offered.

"Don't make me feel better about it I lost because you were better than me. I guess you bloomed into that flower after all huh?" Ino said and shot Sakura a small smile.

"Yeah, it took me a while. But thank you, it's because of you that I realised I was a bud in the first place" Sakura replied and smiled back.

"Alright no need to get all mushy on me Forehead when we battle again someday I will beat you. You were right about Sasuke though, now he doesn't seem interested but he will be one day and I won't lose to you over him" Ino said definitely but smiled.

"Whatever you say Pig" Sakura laughed and Ino joined in.

_Tsunade, you have trained her well so far. She is just like you were. Among all of the genin females she appears to be the strongest. Just how far are you planning to take this?_ Sarutobi thought as he watched Sakura and Ino laughing together.

Sakura stood up and walked over to where Kakashi and Naruto were. She wanted to see the rest of the matches and observe the abilities of her potential opponents for the finals.

Temari and Tenten's match was short lived and everyone watched as the Sand village took yet another victory. Temari's strength lay in the fan that she had tethered to her back, while Tenten was proficient in the art of weapons. The wind and chakra vortex created from Temari's fan rendered Tenten's attacks useless. The match finished quickly; clearly the Sand Ninja were something to be feared.

"Oh man oh man I just want my turn already!" Naruto exclaimed as Sakura finished healing her injuries.

"When you do stay sharp and focused. I'll be cheering you on like you cheered me on. Besides, Team 7 is looking like we're going to have a clean sweep and you better not let us down. Think of what Sasuke will say" Sakura said, playing the rivalry card.

"Right, don't worry Sakura-chan I won't lose!" Naruto exclaimed, more determined than ever.

The names randomised on the screen again but Naruto's name was not among them. Next to fight were Shikamaru and Kin. Sakura observed that Kin still looked badly beaten from their fight during the second exam and smirked a little to herself.

Their fight was quick as well; ultimately Shikamaru's intelligence and deduction won him the battle. He had trapped Kin within his shadow possession jutsu and had her mimic his movements. The fight had ended when Kin hit her head on the back wall of the arena trying to dodge a shuriken Shikamaru had thrown.

Hayate moved to announce the next match and Naruto watched the screen anxiously hoping his turn would be now. The screen displayed exactly that, Naruto was to go up against Kiba. Lee lamented loudly about how it should have been his turn. The blond boy faced off against his opponent more than ready to go.

"When you're ready you can begin" Hayate said.

_Right let's do this! Ninja Art: Beast Mimicry All Fours Jutsu!_ Kiba thought and pressed his hands together to activate the jutsu.

Blue chakra began to radiate from his body as his hands took on a gnarled and beast like appearance. He charged forward speedily for Naruto and hit the blond boy hard with an elbow to the stomach. Naruto fell and was unable to move.

"You might as well call it, he's going to be out for a while" Kiba said to Hayate and began to walk away.

"I told you don't underestimate me" Naruto's voice echoed across the arena as he got to his feet.

Kiba gritted his teeth in anger and ran forward with Akumaru in tow. Naruto watched carefully and suddenly saw two round balls in Kiba's hands.

_Smoke grenades?_ He thought as Kiba flung the two balls and blue smoke erupted everywhere practically blinding Naruto.

Suddenly punches flew out of the smoke, hitting Naruto who couldn't see which direction they were coming from.

"I have to get out of this smoke!" Naruto yelled and ran, hoping to make it out of the blue haze.

Breaking free of the smoke the blond boy took a second to adjust to his surroundings just in time to see Akumaru charging straight for him. The dog knocked Naruto back into the smoke, obscuring what was happening from the viewing parties on the balcony. The smoke finally cleared to reveal Naruto lying face down on the floor and Akumaru sitting obediently next to him, waiting for further instruction from Kiba.

"It's over! Good doggie! Come here!" Kiba yelled in excitement as Akumaru ran towards his master, and promptly bit into his arm.

"Heh heh, gotcha!" Naruto's voice came from Akumaru and with a burst of white smoke Kiba's dog was replaced with the blonde boy; his teeth latched onto Kiba's arm.

Sakura stiffened a giggle; the jutsu had worked like a charm.

"What the hell! A transformation jutsu!? Get off me!" Kiba exclaimed and shoved Naruto back.

"Yuck! You smell even worse than the dog!" Naruto retorted and wiped his mouth in disgust before holding up Akumaru for Kiba to see.

"A transformation and clone jutsu at the same time? He shouldn't be able to do that!" Shikamaru said in shock.

_Well that was interesting, how many shinobi would bite an opponent like he did?_ Neji thought respecting the boy a little.

"Way to go Naruto! That's using your head!" Sakura cheered loudly and Kakashi smiled through his mask. His annoying loud mouth student had come a long way.

"So you've gotten stronger, good to know. But you might want to let Akumaru go" Kiba said and threw a black pill into his dog's mouth before placing one in his own.

Akumaru suddenly began to shake and growl violently his fur turning a stark red colour. The clone that Naruto had used as part of his ploy from before quickly dropped Akumaru and then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_Military rations pills or food pills, they were in the medical book Tsunade-sama gave me. Those will increase Kiba's speed and strength_, Sakura thought.

"Alright let's go Akumaru, Beast Mimicry: Man Beast Clones!" Kiba yelled as Akamaru jumped onto his back. In matter of seconds there were two Kiba's with beast like characteristics.

"WAIT A SECOND YOU JUST TOOK SOMETHING! THAT'S GOT TO BE AGAINST THE RULES!" Naruto yelled as Kiba bared his teeth and growled.

"Food pills are just another tool so they're allowed" Hayate said and coughed. Naruto shot him a dirty look.

"I don't get it, what's Kiba taken?" Ino asked.

"They're called food pills or military ration pills. They were developed by the military so that soldiers could fight for three days straight without a break. But after extended battling they suffered anxiety and almost total exhaustion" Sakura explained to Ino.

"Right now Kiba and Akumaru's chakra has doubled in strength" Choji added.

"Let's finish this now! On All Fours Jutsu" Both Kiba's jumped into the air ready to strike. Naruto quickly back flipped out of the situation and avoided the attack.

They tried again, one went for another direct swipe which the blond boy avoided as the other ran across one of the walls to gain speed before leaping forward. This attack Naruto barely dodged.

_Naruto!_ Hinata thought in distress as the Kiba's began swiping at Naruto from all angles causing him to lose his balance.

_I can't counter attack! All I can do is try and keep on my feet and stay out of their way!_ Naruto thought as he dodged yet another attack.

"Now we've got you! MAN BEAST TAIJUTSU: FANG OVER FANG!" The Kiba clones roared and charged forward twisting with the force of the taijutsu. Both combined and hit Naruto in mid hair.

The blond ninja fell onto the ground in a crumpled heap, blood streaking down his face and pooling on the floor. Kiba landed safely with his clone next to him. Naruto stirred slightly, his fingers gripping the cool concrete floor.

"I will be Hokage, I will I will!" Naruto muttered and attempted to stand up.

"You? Hokage? Give me a break; you're still going on about that? A weakling like you will never become Hokage. I'll be Hokage before you ever do!" Kiba taunted.

_Poor Naruto all the hard work on his own. No one watching him or cheering him on and yet he still believed in himself. This is his chance to turn it all around, _Hinata thought as she recalled all the times she watched Naruto during the academy.

Naruto stood up unsteadily but managed to plant his feet firmly on the ground and stared Kiba down.

"You're not going to be Hokage, I am. My team is counting on me to win this fight, we're all going to be in the finals together and there's no way I'm losing to a jerk like you!" Naruto said defiantly.

"That's right Naruto! On your feet! You're still in this!" Sakura called out loudly.

"Alright, it's your funeral. Let's go Akumaru one more time!" Kiba said and ran forward with his clone. They performed the same taijutsu technique they had before. Naruto jumped over the technique and landed underneath it. The Kiba's skidded to opposite sides of the arena but looked determined to end it.

Throwing the smoke grenades where Naruto was, they ran in to perform the taijutsu move again.

_It's the same move as before and it's working like before, gotta find a way out or else_, Naruto thought.

Soon enough the smoke cleared and Naruto was able to stand and face off against Kiba's clones once more. Again they threw the smoke grenade and again they performed the taijutsu move and again Naruto needed a way out but had none.

_I need to figure out which one is the real Kiba but how do I do that? Unless, I've got it! Transform!_ Naruto thought and performed the transformation jutsu unseen by Kiba or anyone in the upper level until the smoke had cleared. Standing in the middle of the arena were now three Kiba's.

"Perfect Naruto that's brilliant! He's got to be careful now because Kiba doesn't know which one is Akumaru and he doesn't want to hurt him" Sakura exclaimed happily and Lee nodded.

"I'll admit your transformation jutsu is much better than it was in the academy but you forgot one thing! I can smell you kid!" Kiba said and punched the clone of himself he believed to be Naruto.

But the clone disappeared in a puff of white smoke and revealed something far from that. It was Akamaru who now lay on the ground completely immobilised. Kiba looked stunned before turning around and punching the other clone.

"So it's you! Messing with me!" he yelled as the punch connected. But the smoke from that clone dissipated to reveal Akumaru as well.

_Straight from the class clown himself! A decent trick you played Naruto_, Kakashi thought amused by the turn of events.

The first Akumaru disappeared and was replaced with Naruto himself who landed a kick straight on Kiba's chest before the beast boy could figure out what had happened.

_Way to use your head Naruto transforming into Akumaru after Kiba smelt you out. That made Kiba forget all about your scent and he let his anger get the better of him_, Sakura marveled.

_I can't argue with this kid anymore I need to stay calm and look for an opening to hit him with my all fours jutsu_, Kiba thought and bit into his hand to keep himself calm.

"Now that we're serious it's time to unveil a super-secret move I've been saving!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah right!" Kiba said and ran forward hiding ninja stars behind his back which he quickly threw.

Naruto dodged the ninja stars but Kiba came at him with a speed unlike any other and he managed to hit Naruto a few times with his All Four Jutsu.

_Kiba's too fast! Naruto doesn't have the time to make any hand signs_, Sakura thought as she watched her teammate take yet another hit.

Kiba came again, this time from above, his fingers shaped like claws dug into the flesh on Naruto's arm.

"Take this!" he yelled ready to swipe at the blond boy with his other hand.

But Naruto smiled in response. "No you take this!" he yelled back and tossed Kiba over his head and towards the wall. Kiba stopped mere inches from it.

Naruto breathed heavily, blood dripping down his arm as the attacks kept coming. He couldn't keep up with Kiba's speed and twice more he felt the sharp claws digging into his flesh but Kiba was tiring. The beast boy watched in disbelief as Naruto stood up once again despite having taken two serious hits.

_That Naruto is like a bad cold Kiba just can't seem to shake him off_, Shikamaru thought and sighed.

"Man I don't care who it is I just want someone to win already, this match has been dragging out for too long" Kankuro complained and looked at Gaara who had his eyes fixed on the floor.

_Kiba's starting to tire so now is a good time for Naruto to do what he needs to do_, Sakura thought hopefully. Giving credit where credit was due, her blond teammate was unfailingly persistent.

"Right! Time to show my technique!" Naruto yelled loudly and pressed his hands together.

"Go for it, you'll be down and out with my speedy attacks" Kiba said and headed straight for him.

Instead of a head on attack Kiba decided to sneak up on Naruto from behind and that move was to be his downfall. Because Naruto farted right in his face. Kiba yelled and covered his nose with his hands, his heightened sense of smell causing the smell to be a thousand times more potent and debilitating.

Naruto looked slightly embarrassed but unperturbed and made to perform his technique. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he yelled and four shadow clones appeared.

They automatically encircled Kiba; one surged forward and hit Kiba straight in the face. Another ran and jumped off the back of the first one somersaulting into the air. Three of the clones performed synchronized upper leg kicks to Kiba's jaw sending him flying into the air where the real Naruto was waiting to meet him.

"NARUTO UZUMAKI BARRAGE!" he yelled and brought his leg down on the back of Kiba's head causing Kiba to face plant into the concrete floor.

_A new technique huh? I'd say he'd pick that up from watching Sasuke's Lions Barrage. At least he changed the name sort of_, Kakashi thought.

All five Naruto's stood in front of Kiba's body breathing heavily and waited to see if he would get up. The blond boy deactivated the shadow clones as Hayate came over to inspect Kiba.

"The winner is Naruto Uzumaki" Hayate declared coughing a few more times.

"ALRIGHT NARUTO WAY TO GO!" Lee yelled.

"Good job Naruto! That's the way to do it!" Sakura exclaimed.

_All three students in the finals! They've all gotten so much stronger I hardly know what to do. Good job you three_, Kakashi thought and smiled under his mask.

Naruto bounded up the stairs happily as medics came to take Kiba to the infirmary. "It was easily, piece of cake!" he exclaimed happily with his hands behind his back.

Hinata clutched the ointment she had offered to Naruto before the second exams began.

_He's coming this way! What should I do, do I give it to him? But how?_ Hinata thought shyly.

"Naruto, come over here and I'll heal your injuries" Sakura said as Naruto strolled past Hinata with his hands behind his back.

"N-Naruto" Hinata called and Naruto turned around.

"Hm, what is it Hinata?" he asked as a blush spread on the Hyuga girl's face.

_Why did I call out after Sakura offered to heal him, I'm going to look so stupid now!_ Hinata thought but held the ointment out nonetheless.

"Huh? For me? What is it?" Naruto asked drawing the attention of Sakura and Hinata's sensei Kurenai.

_Well well Hinata_, Kurenai thought smugly as she watched the exchange.

"It's a healing ointment" Kurenai interjected.

"Oh that's okay Hinata I don't need it, Sakura-chan will heal me!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

"Uh sorry Naruto but it still looks like I'm pretty beat up from my fight. Plus I think I used most of my chakra healing myself. So it's a good idea to take the ointment" Sakura lied smoothly and Kurenai shot her an appreciative look.

"Right, that's okay. I guess I'll need this after all! Thanks Hinata!" Naruto said happily and took the ointment.

Kurenai and Sakura glanced at each other, Naruto was so dense sometimes. But Hinata was happy enough he took the ointment and that was all that mattered to her, even if she barely spoke a word to him.

"Wow this stuff works like a charm!" Naruto exclaimed as he placed the ointment on a cut which automatically closed over.

_That would be the Nine Tailed Fox healing you; it never ceases to amaze me_, Kakashi thought.

"Alright the names for the next match will now be picked" Hayate said and the names on the screen began to randomize once more.

_Only six people left, I wonder who will make it through to the finals and who will I be up against?_ Sakura thought as the names for the next match flashed on the screen.

**Hinata Hyuga vs Neji Hyuga**

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><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Sorry I am a couple of days later uploading; I've been at work and haven't had a lot of time to write. But I hope you liked this chapter and the fight between Ino and Sakura! I decided it would be fair of me to spend a bit of time on Naruto's match as I did with Sasuke and Sakura of course so apologies if this chapter isn't Sakura centric enough.

I thought I would be able to wrap up the preliminaries in two chapters but it looks like I'll need a third, I won't spend too long on the other battles though but give enough details so it doesn't look too glossed over.

Anyway expect the final part of the preliminaries next chapter and then the filler chapters between the preliminaries and the third exam ^^ Please review/favourite/follow if you like this chapter or the story in general! :) x


	26. Preliminaries Part 3

The Turning Point 

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><p>"Hinata and Neji Hyuga? Are they brother and sister?" Sakura asked Kakashi as Hayate prepared to start the match.<p>

"In a matter of speaking they are but they're more like cousins than siblings. The Hyuga clan is an old and prestigious clan much like the Uchiha clan. Think of a tree, they are related in the same way a branch is related to the trunk" Kakashi explained but Naruto looked confused.

"Hinata belongs to the main household and is a direct decedent from the head of the clan. Neji's family is just a side branch of the clan. Although I'm not entirely sure of the source, I've heard there is bad blood between the two families. There were rules made by the main house that the branches broke" Lee added.

"When you're ready, you can begin" Hayate said in a monotone voice.

"Before this starts Hinata you should withdraw. You were never meant to be a ninja, much too kind and gentle for that. You never even wanted to take these exams but Shino and Kiba did so you entered, not wanting to let your teammates down" Neji said in a voice full of scorn.

"N-No, you're wrong. I did it because I wanted to see if I could change" Hinata replied, looking down in embarrassment.

_I remember the day I took you under my wing. Your father didn't care what I did with you despite you being the first born and heir. He told me you were of less worth than your sister who is five years your junior and you heard every word he said. Well now is your chance to show them how far you've come_, Kurenai thought.

"People can't change Hinata no matter how hard they try. You will always be the pampered child of the main household and a failure. I see it all with my Byakugan" Neji said arrogantly.

"Byakugan? That's the Hyuga clan's kekkei genkai right?" Sakura asked remembering her father speaking about it once.

"Correct, it's a visionary jutsu like Sasuke's sharingan. In fact they say the Uchiha clan's sharingan was derived from the Byakugan some time ago. But if you're just looking at sheer insight, the Byakugan is the stronger of the two" Kakashi elaborated.

Hinata stared at Neji in fear as he activated the rare jutsu and watched his cousin darkly.

"I know what you're thinking Hinata. You're picturing the past wondering if everything you've done has prepared you for this moment. You know the outcome of the fight already, you know you will lose" Neji declared, his Byakugan allowing him insight.

Naruto was becoming enraged, who was this guy anyway and where did he get the right to speak to Hinata like that? His hand curled around the ointment the shy girl had given him before and he squeezed it hard. Sakura noticed the anger in her teammate and couldn't fault him for it. Hinata was terrified before the fight had even started. Neji's words were attacking the most vulnerable parts of her mind and talking her out of participating.

"That does it! Who are you to tell her what she can and can't do! Come on Hinata! Show this guy he can't talk to you like this! Make him pay!" Naruto called out loudly.

_You're right Naruto I won't run away. Not this time_, Hinata thought as she began performing a quick series of hand signs.

"So, that's how it's going to be. If you don't forfeit the match it's your own fault if you get hurt" Neji said angrily noticing the determination in his cousin.

_Naruto definitely has a way of firing people up but it seems especially effective on Hinata_, Sakura thought.

"Byakugan!" Hinata yelled and activated the same jutsu as Neji. Stepping into a battle stance she focused on her target.

"Prepare to defend yourself cousin" Hinata said confidently.

"That stance it's not a normal fighting stance is it?" Sakura wondered aloud as she watched Hinata and Neji position themselves.

"No it seems to be the Hyuga style. It is the most effective type of taijutsu found in the village. I have said it before, Neji is the strongest genin to come out of the leaf village" Lee said, his voice strained.

Both ninja ran at each other and began a series of close range hand strikes. Blue chakra swirled and twisted around them as their attempted to strike each other with their palms. They dodged and ducked and weaved, it seemed as though neither of them could get a hit in. Hinata quickly saw an opening and thrust her hand straight for Neji's stomach.

Neji pulled back and both ninja jumped away from each other, falling into the same stance as before.

"Was that a direct hit?" Sakura asked unable to see clearly.

"No way! She barely touched him" Naruto asserted.

"Even so a glancing blow is enough. That is what makes the Hyuga clan the most formidable of fighters" Lee said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"Their taijutsu is unique and has been passed down for generations. The taijutsu Lee and I use focuses on external injuries. The Huyga way attacks the opponent internal organs through a chakra network. It's a more subtle way and less thrilling to watch but it gradually takes effect, the results are devastating" Gai explained.

"I see because there isn't much you can do to build up your internal organs no matter how hard you train. Because it's all internal, every ninja no matter how tough would be vulnerable to this kind of attack" Sakura said and Gai nodded at her slightly impressed.

Hinata and Neji resumed their close range battle and it seemed as though Hinata had the upper hand. She had thrown herself into the fight and was giving her all.

"WAY TO GO HINATA!" Naruto yelled out in encouragement.

"It's really amazing how they have the ability to attack the chakra network" Sakura commented.

"Yeah you can say that again! Uh wait, what's the chakra network?" Naruto asked, confused. Sakura sighed but began to explain.

"The chakra network is a complex system of circulatory canals that distribute chakra around the body, it's similar to the vascular system the veins and arteries that carry blood" Sakura said.

"I get it! Except these veins carry chakra not blood" Naruto exclaimed, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Uh sure Naruto. The chakra network is so closely interwoven with all the most vital internal organs that they are almost one in the same. So when the network is attacked, the organs suffer damage as well" Lee added.

"Also the Byakugan allows both opponents to see each other's chakra network, that way they know where to deliver their blows. When they attack a small burst of chakra is released from their hands and drills into the opponent's body directly attacking their chakra network." Kakashi stated.

Upon saying this, the battle down below had come to a standstill. Neji had managed to deliver a heavy blow to Hinata's chest area causing her to cough out droplets of blood. These littered the ground and Neji's bandaged hand.

"So this is it? This is all the power that the main branch has to offer?" Neji asked aloud.

"Wait what happened? I saw Hinata hit Neji perfectly!" Naruto asked loudly.

Hinata breathed heavily her mouth surrounded by blood stains. _I'm not done yet_, she thought and moved Neji's hand away from her chest.

Making use of the opening Hinata thrust her palm towards Neji's face but before she could land a blow the Hyuga boy had grabbed her wrist and used two fingers from his other hand to deliver a shot of chakra into Hinata's arm.

Pulling back her sleeve, Neji exposed Hinata's pale arm which now bore a series of small red marks.

"W-What? Do you mean that all this time you could see it?" Hinata asked fearfully.

"That's right, I could see you chakra points the whole time we've been fighting" Neji replied coldly.

"Huh what is he saying?" Naruto asked.

"On the chakra network there are 316 energy centres or chakra points. Each is as tiny as the head of a pin but hitting one directly can affect chakra flow either halting it or increasing it. This depends on how the attacker strikes. These chakra points are undetectable to my sharingan eye. Neji can not only see these chakra points but attack them precisely even in intense battle" Kakashi explained.

Neji hit Hinata forcefully to the ground and walked towards her. Hinata's breathing was short and raspy as she lay on the ground and looked at her cousin.

"Give up now Hinata. This is what separates the elite from the failures, you can't change and you need to accept that. Once you said you wouldn't run any more I knew you were destined for failure. I will give you one last warning Hinata, forfeit this match" Neji said calmly.

I-I'll never go back on my word" Hinata said and stood up shakily, blood dripping from her mouth. "Because that too is my ninja way" she finished and smiled up at Naruto.

"I had no idea Hinata was so tough" Naruto said watching the shy girl.

"She's a lot like you" Lee commented happily.

"You know she is always watching you" Sakura added not so subtly.

_Hinata? Watching me?_ Naruto thought.

Activating her Byakugan again Hinata moved to attack Neji but her heart clenched painfully and she stopped as more blood fell from her mouth and onto the arena floor.

_She's reached her limit. One more hit and she's done, _Kurenai worried.

_Because Neji's attack on her chakra points has stopped her chakra flow altogether, Hinata can no longer fight in the Gentle Fist style. This match is over_, Kakashi mused.

"Did you guys see the look in his eyes!? He wouldn't try to kill her would he?" Ino asked her teammates in alarm.

"The fight is completely missed match, the difference in strength is ridiculous" Sakura said angrily.

"GO HINATA YOU CAN DO IT!" Naruto cheered still believing in the Hyuga girl.

_Naruto! _Hinata thought and felt her strength returning to her. She ran forward and began to fight Neji in the same close range combat as before.

_I've been watching you for a while Naruto. I don't know why but when I watch you Naruto I feel full of courage. I feel that I can keep going and that I can succeed_. _That even I am worth _something, Hinata thought as she dodged and weaved her way through Neji's attacks.

Going for a forward thrust of the hand, Hinata misjudged Neji's movements and fell forward. Seeing this Neji pushed his hand up hard and hit Hinata square in the jaw. Falling backwards but remaining upright Hinata began coughing violently.

_Before Hinata used to be a quitter, but now I can see she has changed. She put every ounce of her being into her training I saw it with my own eyes. But even so she continued to fail all of her missions, she lost her nerve when faced with real competition and became easily discouraged. But that's not the Hinata I see now. I have never seen such a look of fierceness in her eyes before_, Kurenai thought as she watched her student.

Hinata narrowed her eyes and ran for Neji again. _Naruto, before now I have always been the one doing the watching. But you are finally watching me and I'll show you what I can do!_ Hinata thought completely determined.

Neji had other plans and as soon as Hinata was in close enough range he sent a huge burst of chakra to her heart with the palm of his hand. Everyone watched in horror as Hinata coughed out blood and fell to the ground. Naruto shook with anger.

"You just don't get it do you Hinata? Your strikes were ineffective from the moment we started. You're finished" Neji said and deactivating his Byakugan he walked away.

"Since she can no longer-" Hayate began.

"NO! DON'T STOP THIS MATCH!" Naruto yelled.

_What is he doing, Hinata can't take another hit like that. Anything else is risking her life_, Sakura thought.

The hit of chakra to her heart was debilitating but Hinata was getting to her feet again. She looked weak and fragile and her whole body shook with the effort, but once again she was upright. Clutching at her heart in pain Hinata faced Neji.

"What are you doing? If you let yourself continue like this you're going to die!" Neji said.

_It doesn't matter, I'm not going to make myself look bad in front of the person I admire the most_._ Not now that he's finally seen the real me! _Hinata thought.

Neji activated his Byakugan and looked at his cousin in anger. Just what did she think she was playing at, opposing him like that?

"I'm far from finished" Hinata said in a strong voice but her hand clutched at her side.

"Give up the tough guy act. Everyone can see you're barely standing. You were born with the burden of being in the main household and you've cursed yourself for being weak. Just accept defeat and you won't have to suffer!" Neji spat.

"You've got it backwards cousin. You're suffering much more than I, you are the one who is all torn up about the fate of the main and side branches of the Hyuga clan" Hinata said heavily.

A fiery anger sparked within Neji and he ran towards his cousin with hatred in his eyes.

"Neji stop the match is over!" Hayate yelled and quickly began to run to intercept the boy.

Before Neji could take one more step towards his cousin he was surrounded by Gai, Kakashi, Hayate and Kurenai who restrained him from going any further.

"Neji, get a hold of yourself. You promised me you wouldn't let this whole head family thing get you all riled up!" Gai said with his arms across Neji's neck.

"Why are you and the other Jounin butting in! The head family gets special treatment huh?" Neji asked angrily.

Hinata's heart pulsed violently and in a matter of seconds she was on the floor, Kurenai rushed over to her and helped her to lie down.

"HINATA!" Naruto yelled as he and Lee jumped down from the balcony and ran to her.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked urgently as he rushed to her side. Hinata slipped in and out of consciousness as she stared at the blond haired boy.

_Naruto do you think I changed. Maybe just a little?_ Hinata thought and finally slipped into unconsciousness. The loudmouth ninja looked down at her with a mixture of emotions.

"Hey loser I have two pieces of advice for you. Firstly if you intend to call yourself a shinobi stop that stupid cheering of yours it's disgraceful. Second, once a failure always a failure you can't change that" Neji said glaring at Naruto.

"We'll just see about that" Naruto said angrily and ran forward intending to punch the smirk right off Neji's face when Lee stepped in front of him.

"What are you doing!?" Naruto demanded.

"I understand where you're coming from but all fighting must be done officially in a match. The loser beating the gifted genius through sheer willpower that would be quite the match. Even if I am the one who is going to have to fight Neji. But if you end up fighting him than that is fine too" Lee declared.

"Alright you win Lee" Naruto relented and walked back over to Hinata.

_How was that Gai-sensei!?_ Lee thought as he gave Gai a thumbs up.

_Good one Lee! Nice going!_ Gai thought and returned the gesture flashing a toothy smile.

Hinata suddenly coughed, blood spurting out of her mouth. Panicking Kurenai unzipped Hinata's jacket and felt for her pulse with hands on Hinata's chest and neck.

_She's going into cardiac arrest! Was he really trying to kill her? _Kurenai thought and stared at Neji accusingly.

"I wouldn't waste your time glaring at me when you should be caring for her" Neji responded.

"Get a medic! Hurry!" Kurenai said loudly but the medical staff did not come rushing in like they had for all the previous matches. Something was clearly wrong.

"What is it! Where are they? What's taking so long?" Naruto said, panic mounting within him. Hinata was looking worse by the second.

"There is a situation at the infirmary, one of extreme emergency. All of the doctors and nurses have been called into help so they are unable to come for about five minutes" An unknown Jounin spoke, entering the arena.

"We have to get her to the hospital now!" Naruto yelled and moved to pick Hinata up but Kurenai stopped him.

"We can't move her! Hinata is going into cardiac arrest and without medical attention she will die! Dammit Daichi can't you do something, get a stretcher and take her to the infirmary yourself!?" Kurenai barked at the Jounin.

"I'm just the messenger and all the stretchers are up in the infirmary. Even if I were to take her up there now all of the doctors are busy with the emergency. As I said it will take five minutes" Daichi replied, looking annoyed.

"How dare you! She doesn't have five minutes she has ten at the most!" Kurenai shot back in a mix of anger and despair.

"Sakura we need you down here" Kakashi said, his voice strained.

"Hai sensei!" Sakura replied and jumped down onto the arena floor. Neji regarded the pink haired girl with suspicion as she approached his cousin.

"What can she do for her?" Kurenai asked shooting Kakashi a look.

"Sakura is a promising medical ninja in training and her chakra control is impressive. I'm not saying she can repair the damage done but I believe my student can keep Hinata stable until the medical ninja arrive" Kakashi replied.

"I will do my best for Hinata" Sakura said trying to reassure Kurenai and Naruto.

_Cardiac arrest means that the blood isn't circulating normally due to failure of the heart to contract effectively. Because it's only just started it's reversible but there is a chance of SCD. I need to create a shockable rhythm while performing standard CPR to prevent the situation from escalating_, Sakura thought.

Placing her hands over Hinata's chest Sakura began to pump short static pumps, intermittently checking for signs of a pulse. The Hyuga girl remained still but Sakura was determined to save her and continued the chest pumps. She knew the heart needed a shock to start again, was it possible that a burst of chakra could have the effect?

_Neji used the chakra networks to hit Hinata's heart directly, would it work if I were to try and use my chakra to shock her heart. Normally a defribulator would be used to cause an electric shock. Chakra isn't the same as electricity._ _I can't risk it if I'm not sure, I don't want to kill her_, Sakura thought as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.

The situation looked hopeless and everyone watched as the young girl with pink hair continued to try and revive Hinata. Neji's eyes narrowed in Sakura's direction, she was one of Kakashi's students and an arrogant one too. Who did she think was? Just like the rest of them, trying to save the precious heir to the main branch. These people were sticking their noses into business that wasn't theirs. He had given Hinata a chance to back down and she refused to take it, it was her fault if she died.

"Sakura, it doesn't look like she's going to pull through" Kakashi said quietly and Gai nodded.

The ten minutes of time which Hinata had left were almost up, the doctors still hadn't arrived and Sakura's attempts at resuscitation had not succeeded.

"No! I refuse to give up on her! Come on Hinata you can pull through!" Sakura urged and continued to pump on her chest.

"That's right Hinata! You can't give up now! Not after all you've been through!" Naruto echoed.

"Well looks like we're going to see the first casualty of the exams" Kankuro said to Gaara in a cheerful voice.

"Whatever" Gaara replied.

"Lord Hokage, can we send for Lady Tsunade?" Anko asked and Sarutobi turned to her in surprise.

"Tsunade would not make it here in time. She is in the hospital of Konoha treating an Anbu unit that came in this morning. But I think you need to have a little more faith in Sakura, you know as well as I do Anko that persistence pays off" Sarutobi said quietly.

Sakura's arms ached but she continued to try and revive Hinata. Lifting two fingers to Hinata's neck the pink haired ninja let out a gasp of shock. Pressing her fingers harder against that point she felt it again.

_A pulse, she has a pulse!_ Sakura thought in relief.

"Hinata has a pulse and she's breathing. Her vitals are stable for the moment, she has just fallen back into unconsciousness" Sakura said loudly.

Kurenai let out a huge sigh of relief and Naruto grinned happily. Lee also looked relieved as did Ino and her team. Kankuro and Temari looked at each other slightly shocked but Gaara stared blankly down at the arena. His sharp blue eyes trained on Sakura. Kakashi smiled through his mask and Gai glared at his rival.

_Of course Kakashi, it's just like you to have your student show everyone else up_, Gai thought enviously.

"WAY TO GO SAKURA!" Naruto yelled and engulfed her in a huge bear hug. Sakura laughed.

"Thank you Naruto, I'm going to heal Hinata's external injuries before the medics arrive" Sakura said and ran her glowing hand over the Hyuga girl's body.

"That's an interesting girl you've got there Kakashi" Kurenai said to the silver haired man quietly.

"So it would seem Kurenai" Kakashi replied evenly.

"We're here! We're here!" Three medics called out, rushing into the arena carrying a stretcher between them.

"Took you all long enough" Kurenai muttered as everyone moved out of the way.

Sakura removed her hand and withdrew to stand near Kakashi who patted her on the shoulder. The medical staff assessed Hinata's condition quickly and looked at each other, it was obvious that the young girl had gone into cardiac arrest but the damage was almost completely reversed.

Inspecting Hinata's arms her cuts were almost completely gone, were it not for her extremely laboured breathing and slightly beaten appearance it wouldn't appear she were injured at all. Of course the internal damage to her heart would be serious but if anything the girl looked peaceful like she was simply sleeping.

"Did someone attend to her before we arrived? Although we haven't examined her internally yet it appears she has recovered from the majority of her injuries and the effects of the cardiac arrest appear to have been reversed from what we can determine" One of the medics spoke up.

"Sakura here revived Hinata using compression on her chest and then used her chakra to heal most of her injuries" Kakashi said pushing Sakura forward.

"You should be proud of yourself then young lady. You acted well and saved this person's life. We will make sure to inform our superiors of this. We will take Hinata Hyuga up to the infirmary to keep her under observation and examine the internal injuries a little closer" Another medic said.

Lying Hinata on the stretcher the medical staff proceeded to take her out of the arena and up to the infirmary. Naruto watched them leave sadly before walking over to the spot where Hinata had coughed up a large amount of blood. Putting his hand in the blood Naruto turned to face Neji.

"I vow to win" he said calmly. Neji simply smirked in reply as everyone began to move back up to the balcony.

_Yes she is just like you Tsunade, headstrong, stubborn, and fearless with great compassion for others and a hot temper. She saved the Hyuga girls life and that is not something to be taken lightly_, Sarutobi thought.

"Ah man Choji I'd hate to be in your position right now not with Rock Lee, that guy from the Sound and the one from the Sand Village left to compete with" Shikamaru said to his teammate as the arena was cleaned in preparation for the next match.

Hearing this Choji sunk to his knees and shook a little. "I'm not feeling so good. Maybe I should go and forfeit right now" he replied looking shaken and nauseous.

"Hey! Don't talk like that if you win I'll take you out for barbeque!" Asuma said happily.

"Aw come on!" Choji whined and looked out at the arena.

"Don't worry Choji if it gets bad I'll step in and stop the fight just like with Hinata" Asuma reassured him.

_Seriously when did he even stop that fight?_ Shikamaru thought grumpily.

"REALLY ALL YOU CAN EAT! HELL YEAH NOW YOU'RE TALKING!" Choji exclaimed.

Gaara still had his eyes fixated on the arena below; the look he wore verged on sheer madness. Kankuro and Temari exchanged nervous looks, after that last fight they could feel the bloodlust radiating off Gaara's inner demon in waves.

"We'll proceed now with the competition" Hayate said and the screen jolted to life processing the names of the candidates again.

The final four competitors watched the screen with mixed emotions; finally the names stopped and announced that the second match was to be between Gaara and Rock Lee. Gaara wasted no time and appeared on the arena floor with a cloud of sand surrounding him. Lee eagerly lept off the balcony and stood facing Gaara, happy that his moment to fight had finally come.

The match began without any hesitation from Lee as he ran forward and performed his Leaf Hurricane movement on Gaara but the result was an explosion of sand particles. The sand then began to return into the gourd on Gaara's back. Sakura watched in amazement, the jutsu was unlike anything she had seen before and the mystery of what was in Gaara's gourd was finally revealed.

Lee tried a quick series of taijutsu style attacks but the sand acted as a defence mechanism around Gaara and prevented any of Lee's attacks from getting through. It seemed as though the sand had a life of its own as it began to fight with Lee and attempt to constrict him. Gaara had not moved an inch as Lee threw kunai and shuriken at him but to no avail. The sand blocked every single attempt to harm its owner.

The sand quickly rushed forward and managed to take a hold of Lee's ankle and swung him around the arena throwing him into the wall. The sand then made to attack again but Lee dodged it and headed straight for Gaara using his taijutsu style attacks. Once again the sand acted of its own accord and shielded Gaara from any damage.

"It doesn't seem that taijutsu is working. Surely Lee should try and gain some distance and then attempt ninjutsu?" Sakura said.

"That would be a good idea if he knew any. Lee has no ninjutsu or genjutsu skills at all and you should have seen how hopeless he was when I first met him. No talent at all" Gai informed Sakura.

The sand came after Lee like a giant hand ready to constrain him. Lee managed to dodge the first few grabs but then slipped on the sand and fell to the ground. When it looked as though the sand had covered and crushed him completely, Lee managed to escape and somersault into the air. Seeing the situation Gai gave Lee instruction to take off the lightweights that were strapped to his legs, allowing him to move freely.

Everyone regarded Gai with confusion and annoyance, there was no way just by dropping a few pounds of weight that Lee could get through Gaara. But when the weights fell to the ground they created massive holes on the arena floor. Kakashi shook his head; sometimes his rival was just too much. When Gai gave the word Lee resumed his series of taijutsu attacks but this time Gaara looked shaken. The sand was only able to keep ahead of Lee by a few seconds, the speed increase was phenomenal.

Using an attack from above Lee managed to beat the sand defence and land a hit on Gaara cutting his cheek. Temari and Kankuro wore matching horrified expressions; no one had ever managed to make a mark on Gaara before and this bushy eye browed kid was the first. Using the same attacks Lee was quicker on his feet than the sand was to defend and punched Gaara directly sending him falling onto the ground.

Getting slowly to his feet Gaara's gourd began to pour sand onto the ground again but something was wrong. Gaara's face began to fall off and land on the ground as clumps of sand. It seemed as though he had encased himself in a sand shell. The mark on his cheek wasn't a proper hit, none of them were. The sand from Gaara's gourd began to rise up and attach itself to his face.

"So none of those blows Lee landed did anything?" Naruto asked completely baffled.

"No, normally the sand itself is enough of a defence but in the event that it isn't Gaara can wear the sand like a suit of armour" Kankuro replied.

_But that armour is a giant weak spot, the amount of chakra it takes to keep it in place takes its toll eventually. Gaara must be feeling the pressure if he's resorted to that_, Temari thought.

Lee and Gai exchanged looks thinking the same thing. If Lee could get Gaara up in the air and away from the sand he may be able to break through and hit Gaara properly. The only way to do that was to use the Lotus. Unravelling the bandages on his arms a little Lee ran at an impossibly high speed around Gaara.

Using the same upper jaw kick he had used on Sasuke, Lee sent Gaara into the air but the sand followed. Using a quick series of powerful kicks Lee propelled his opponent higher as an attempt to get him away from the sand. Using the Lotus would take a huge toll on the body and Lee knew he had to finish Gaara off and soon. The bandages around his arm began to coil themselves around Gaara's body. Grabbing hold of Gaara, Lee secured them both into a downward spiral propelled by extreme speed.

"Primary Lotus!" Lee called out loudly as both he and Gaara hit the ground with huge force.

Gaara's body lay in the middle of the huge chasm that had been caused by the move. Lee jumped out and waited at the side, as expected the Lotus move had taken a lot out of him and he was now breathing heavily.

It seemed the match was over and Hayate moved to check Gaara before declaring Lee the winner. As he peered at the sand boy a piece of Gaara's face fell off as did components of the rest of his body. All that remained was a sand shell of the boy.

Gaara appeared behind Lee with sand covering his body, the look in his eye had completely changed and it appeared to Temari and Kankuro that their worst fears had been confirmed. The demon inside Gaara had finally awoken and was taking over. Blasts and waves of sand came straight for Lee who did not attempt to dodge them.

"Because the Lotus is a taijutsu move it requires extreme physical strength. Thus when it is complete it leaves the user battered, bruised and in a lot of pain. Even if Lee wanted to dodge those movements he couldn't" Kakashi observed.

It seemed as though Gaara was just toying with Lee, hitting him with blasts of sand. Gai watched on sadly as he recalled the first time he had observed Lee, the dorky little kid in the academy with nothing going for him but a bit of taijutsu. Tormented and bullied by his classmates. Another blast of sand from Gaara hit Lee causing him to yell out in pain.

People began to mutter about how Lee should give in and that continuing would mean sure death or serious injury but Gai shook his head. They didn't understand that Lee wouldn't give in like that; he would carry on where a normal person would give up. That was just the way that he was and Gai had told him as much. Others had gifts through their bloodline but Lee had the gift of perseverance.

Lee stood up again looking more determined than ever as Gaara sent another sand attack towards him. With a few lightning quick moves Lee was able to dodge the attack making everyone gasp in shock, after using the Lotus there was no way Lee should be able to move like again but he did.

"The Lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice" Gai said calmly.

"Lee said that to me during the second exam" Sakura spoke up

"That means. No Gai you didn't" Kakashi questioned his rival

"Yes Kakashi I did" Gai replied without a hint of remorse.

"So that boy, the genin down there can open the Eight Inner Gates and use the Hidden Lotus?" Kakashi asked gravely.

"That is correct" Gai replied.

"You've got to be joking I mean I just it's ridiculous. So how many can the boy open now?" Kakashi demanded angrily.

"Five, he can open five Inner Gates" Gai said this time looking a little ashamed.

Kakashi ground his teeth together but said no more. Sakura watched the exchange with curious eyes.

"So what are these Inner Gates and what is the Hidden Lotus?" she asked.

"There are gates along the chakra network located at the points in the body where the chakra is most heavily concentrated. Starting at the head they follow in this order: Gate of Opening, Rest, Life, Pain, Closing, Joy, Shock and Death. They limit the chakra through the body but the Lotus has tremendous pressure on these limiters eventually forcing the gates open. This releases the chakra limit and a person's strength can increase tenfold" Kakashi explained.

"Using the Primary Lotus Lee has already opened the Gate of Opening" Gai added

"But using just the Primary Lotus almost destroyed him. What's going to happen if he tries to go any further?" Sakura asked knowing that the repercussions on the body could be devastating

"That's exactly my point. Opening all Eight Gates would mean Lee would have power far greater than the Hokage himself. But he'd die in the process" Kakashi said and glared at Gai.

_Gai sensei it is time for me to use the forbidden technique and the condition has been reached: to maintain ones ninja way. For me to maintain my ninja way I must win this match and open the Third Gate. Neji, Sasuke and Naruto! I cannot be the only one who does not win here!_ Lee thought.

What appeared to be a huge torrent of air rushed up from underneath Lee and engulfed him. Huge veins began to spread across his forehead and Lee's face began to turn a deep red. Blue chakra twisted and turned all around his body.

"Third Gate Open!" Lee yelled

The chakra around his body grew stronger and Lee stood in full height. Kakashi watched Gai's student and assumed he would attack Gaara now that the Third Gate had been opened but Lee crouched over again and opened the Fourth Gate.

"Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain Open!" Lee called out again.

Running straight for Gaara, Lee tore up most of the arena floor and landed an upward jaw kick on the Sand Village ninja before anyone could blink. The opening of the Gates had made him faster than ever and almost everyone on the balcony had to shield themselves from the aftershock.

Once the dust cleared from the damage to the floor, everyone could see Gaara floating in mid-air but no one could locate Lee. Suddenly he appeared above Gaara and hit him hard before reappearing to hit him again. The sand from Gaara's gourd was nowhere near fast enough to protect Gaara from Lee's attacks. Although Gaara's face began to crack once more indicating he had used the sand as a shell for his body, but this did not discourage Lee. He began to hit Gaara all around the arena as though it were child's play.

"One more and we are finished! Gate of Closing: Open!" Lee yelled and flew through the air to punch Gaara.

_His muscles are tearing themselves apart!_ Sakura thought in horror as she watched Lee struggle to even make a fist with his hands.

But he didn't hit Gaara instead Lee had him hanging by one of his own bandages completely helpless. He was positioning Gaara for his final move, the ace in the hole Gai had taught him.

"Hidden Lotus!" Lee bellowed at the top of his voice and hit Gaara directly in the stomach.

It appeared to be a direct hit but no one could see due to the intense speed and then waves of aftershock. Kakashi with the quickness of his eyes saw the gourd on Gaara's back turn into sand, a glance at Gai confirmed that he had seen it as well.

Gaara and Lee fell to the ground and Lee was the first to tumble out of the rubble. He had taken the fall hard and was barely able to move but it appeared as though he had won. However the rest of the dust cleared and it was clear the Gaara was not out of the fight. By turning the gourd into sand he had managed to cushion his fall.

Focusing his hand on Lee Gaara forced the sand surrounding him to take the shape of a human hand and head directly for the bushy eye browed ninja. Shino watched the move with a sense of familiarity. He and his team had witnessed the power of Gaara's sand jutsu and he knew the jutsu that was coming would be the end of Lee. Because of the opening of the Gates and the use of the Hidden Lotus, Lee could not move fast enough to get away from it.

The sand latched itself onto one of Lee's legs and arms, Gaara closed the hand he had outstretched and Lee immediately screamed in pain.

"Sand Coffin" Gaara said darkly and the sand constrained around Lee knocking him to the ground.

Lee immediately closed his eyes and Sakura could not tell if he was exhausted or unconscious. The sand receeded revealing Lee's bloodied arm and leg from where it had been. Gaara set his sand on Lee once more fully intending to kill the genin. But Gai appeared in front of Lee's broken body and cast the sand away.

Memories flashed in Gaara's mind and the red headed sand boy put his hands to his head in an attempt to block them out.

"Why, why save him when he failed?" Gaara asked Gai in his dark and low voice.

"Because he is my student and also because he is precious to me" Gai replied.

"I quit" Gaara said to Hayate and began to walk off, the sand returning to his gourd which was rebuilding itself.

_That may be so but Lee lost the match the minute Gai intervened_, Kakashi thought.

A sound like the cracking of bone echoed through the arena as Rock Lee got to his feet again. Completely bloodied and bruised but determined to continue to fight. Sakura watched fearfully there was only so much the human body could take ninja or not.

Gai moved towards Lee and was horrified to discover that Lee was actually still unconscious, there was nothing keeping him up but the sheer will to go on and win. Ashamed and disappointed at what he'd let his student go through, Gai shed a few tears.

"Lee you've already proven it; there is no need to go on anymore. You are a splendid ninja" Gai said emotionally as he embraced his protégé.

"The winner is Gaara" Hayate declared but Gaara seemed oddly transfixed on the scene between Lee and Gai. Nonetheless he began to walk off.

Medical ninja quickly rushed onto the scene and Sakura knew she was not needed this time. One of the staff approached Gai and told him the devastating news. Not only had Lee suffered muscle and bone fractures throughout his body but his left leg and arm were particularly damaged. As a result of this he could not fight again and his days as a shinobi were over according to the medical staff.

Gai looked broken and ashamed that the jutsu he had pushed and taught his student had caused him to never fight again. Naruto too was visibly upset and angry.

"Failure! I thought you said we could win! I thought you said we would show how-" Naruto yelled out in anguish but was silenced by Kakashi who appeared out of thin air and put his hand over the blond boy's mouth.

_Lee you helped me during the fight with the Sound Ninja even though it wasn't your fight to begin with. You taught me a lot about strength and determination and I too will work harder at my training so that I can be a respected medical ninja_, Sakura thought as she watched the medical team carry Lee to the infirmary on a stretcher.

Eventually Gai returned to the balcony with everyone else and the final fight was announced between Choji and Dosu. The match was over quickly but through a series of incredibly lucky attacks on Choji's part and a few mishaps on the part of Dosu which included the injuries he had sustained during the fight with Sakura, Choji won the last of the preliminary battles much to the sheer disbelief and horror of his teammates.

Choji was ecstatic at the idea of all he could eat barbeque beef and Dosu fearful of what Orochimaru would do to him considering his primary goal was to get into the finals and go up against Sasuke. 

* * *

><p>"I commend all those who have advanced to the final round of the Chunin exams, there is one of you missing but congratulations nonetheless" Hayate said and addressed all of the competitors for the finals in front of him.<p>

_Kakashi says they have transferred Sasuke to the hospital in Konoha, Tsunade-sama is there. She will look after Sasuke; they need to keep him away from Orochimaru. He's still in the Leaf Village I'm sure of it. Also what about our suspicions with Kabuto. I'd feel a lot better if I could talk to Sasuke in person about all of this_, Sakura thought a little anxiously.

Kakashi had left to go and check up on Sasuke himself leaving herself and Naruto to get the details on the final round. Sarutobi stepped in front of the remaining candidates and began to explain the final round.

"The final battles will commence one month from now. This gives you time to prepare for the final fight and gives us time to summon all of the respective leaders to the third exams. Now that you've battled each other your opponents are not unknown and everyone has seen what everyone can do. Use this time to practice and learn new techniques because old tired ones just won't cut it" Sarutobi explained and Naruto stifled a yawn.

"Come on old man! What else is there to say!" the blond boy exclaimed unhappily.

"Naruto be quiet! This is the last task required of you before your month of training begins. Anko will approach each of you with a box, inside are slips of paper. Draw out one of these each, they contain a number. Call this out to Ibiki and we will pair you up with each other. Sasuke will be number four" Lord Hokage instructed.

Once all the numbers had been given Ibiki revealed the final matches for the third round. Naruto was to fight Neji, Shikamaru to fight Kankuro, Sakura to fight Temari, Sasuke to fight Gaara and Choji to fight Shino.

Sakura smirked; Temari was a strong opponent from what she had seen in the preliminaries. She was going to have to figure out a way to work her chakra attacks past that fan and hit the girl where it hurt. She knew Naruto would be pleased to go up against Neji considering he had promised Hinata, but a part of her was concerned for Sasuke.

Although she hated to admit it she knew that Kakashi's seal on the curse mark relied on Sasuke's will not to activate it. But to have Sasuke fight against Gaara seemed like it would back him into a corner and force him to activate the mark in order to win. Would Sasuke even be able to go up against Gaara and succeed?

"So from this will just one of us get to be a Chunin or what?" Shikamaru asked the Hokage.

"There will be judges including myself, shinobi leaders and the Kazekage the lords from the various countries that will ultimately be assigning your missions to you. Through the final tournament these judges will be able to make a proper evaluation to see if any or all of you possess the qualities required of a Chunin. The more you battle in the tournament, the more you have a chance to show the judges your skills. Any of you, some of you or none of you could become Chunin" Sarutobi explained at length.

The candidates stared at him unhappily, so they would have to fight in more than one round and they could still not be picked to be Chunin. Sarutobi sighed; it had been a long day.

"In any case we're adjourned. I will see you all in a month for the Chunin finals" Lord Hokage said before disappearing.

_I need to speak with Tsunade-sama. The Hokage is right my chakra tricks aren't going to get me very far now that everyone has seen what I can do. I need something that's going to give me an edge over everyone else. Because we're fighting in rounds I could beat Temari and then look who I've got to face. I could end up fighting that Gaara guy and my moves aren't going to work on him_, Sakura thought slightly panicked.

"Sakura-chan! We're is Kakashi-sensei? We need to see him about training us for the final round!" Naruto exclaimed, rearing to go.

"He said he was going to the hospital in the village to check on Sasuke" Sakura replied.

"GAHHH! OH NO HE'S GOING TO TRAIN SASUKE FIRST AND THEN WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!? WE HAVE TO FIND HIM NOW!" Naruto yelled and dragged Sakura by the arm.

"Tsunade-sama I'll need your help now more than ever" Sakura mumbled to herself as she followed Naruto in the direction of the hospital. 

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Preliminaries are done and now the month of training for Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura before the final rounds! I've had a few reviews mentioning the lack of SasuSaku in the past couple of chapters and I do apologise for that but I really wanted Sakura to be in the final exams and have a greater role in the preliminaries themselves which is why I had her stay. But I can sort of see how that would be a little boring.

However there will be much more of their interactions together but I intend to have Sakura and Tsunade go off to do some training together for the month so it might not be as much as people would hope for though I will try my best to put it in as much as I can especially in the next chapter.

Anyway thanks for sticking with me and I appreciate all of your wonderful ideas and reviews and all that stuff so please keep it up if you're enjoying the story. Next chapter will be up in a week ^^


	27. A Month Of Training

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>Naruto burst into the hospital dragging a tired and irate Sakura with him. He immediately rushed towards the reception desk knocking an old lady and a man in a wheel chair over in the process. Sakura stopped to help them up bowing and apologising profusely, she then glared at her blond teammate.<p>

_He's rushing around so fast I can't punch him properly. How can he have this much energy after the second exams and the preliminaries_, Sakura wondered with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"Lady where is Sasuke Uchiha's room?" Naruto asked one of the nurses hurriedly. Sakura joined him at the desk looking around nervously.

Of course Naruto had no idea who Lady Tsunade was he had never met her, which meant that he was also not familiar with her fiery anger which was aggravated by the goings on of the hospital. She was sure Naruto's loud voice and actions displeasing and Sakura was sure she was going to punch him all the way out of the Leaf Village if she saw or heard him.

"I'm sorry visitors are not allowed for Mr Uchiha" the nurse replied barely looking up from her paperwork.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE CAN'T VISIT HIM!? WE'RE HIS TEAMMATES!" Naruto bellowed, completely outraged.

Sakura's heart sank, she wanted nothing more to see Sasuke and to reassure herself that he was alive and in capable hands. Even if he was unconscious or asleep, just to see him would be enough for her. She would finally be able to get some sleep after almost five nights of frantic guarding, protecting and nightmares of Sasuke's curse mark and Orochimaru. If she couldn't get some reassurance she knew five sleepless nights would become six.

"Are you sure we can't see him?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Yeah lady what the hell you got a heart made of stone or something!?" Naruto snapped, annoyed beyond belief.

"I've been instructed not to let anyone visit Sasuke Uchiha and it's going to stay that way!" the nurse said bossily.

Sakura felt like lunging for her throat but before she could even think about jumping over the counter a crop of silver hair caught her eye.

"Kakashi-sensei" Naruto called out happily, he and Sakura approached the Jounin who had his nose in his orange perverted book.

"Sakura, Naruto. I didn't think the preliminaries would be over so soon" Kakashi said mildly, flicking a page.

"Yeah old man Hokage didn't talk too much for once. We have stuff to tell Sasuke like the fact that he's going up against that Gaara guy in the first round for the finals! But that stupid lady said no visitors!" Naruto babbled and then pointed an accusing finger at the bossy nurse.

"She was telling the truth Sasuke isn't allowed any visitors yet. Not even you two" Kakashi replied looking seriously at both of them.

_Something's not right, has something happened to Sasuke in the hospital? Did it involve Orochimaru is that why we can't see him? Has there been an attempt on his life? Kakashi is lying he went to see Sasuke I know it!_

The anxious thoughts tumbled into Sakura's brain and she began to feel physically sick. Swallowing cautiously she looked up at Kakashi.

"Is Sasuke alright?" she asked in a hard voice.

"He's fine Sakura, unconscious but fine. No visitors are allowed but as soon as they are you and Naruto will be the first to know I promise" Kakashi reassured her.

Sakura didn't buy a word of it but kept quiet nonetheless. Naruto nodded in acceptance and then turned his attention to more pressing matters.

"Sensei we have a lot to organise cause old man Hokage says we have a month to train for the Chunin exams and you could teach me all these jutsu and you're going to be busy because between me and the Teme and Sakura-chan that's a lot of people to train and the old man said something about learning new tricks and" Naruto paused to take in a deep breath before continuing when Kakashi cut him off.

"Naruto I won't be training you but I've found someone to oversee your progress for the final round of the Chunin Exams" Kakashi said calmly.

_So Kakashi won't be training Naruto or me and he'll focus on Sasuke. I guess that makes sense with the seal and all but it's still a little disappointing. If I didn't have Tsunade-sama I don't know what I'd do_, Sakura thought.

"AH HA! I knew it! You're going to train Sasuke aren't you! Why is it always him!?" Naruto demanded angrily.

"Don't complain I have other matters to attend to but I've found you someone even better than me to teach you" Kakashi replied cheerfully.

"Really? Who is it!?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"It is I" A posh sounding voice spoke up from behind Naruto. The blond boy turned around to see Konohamaru's private tutor Ebisu.

"WHA! Not you, you pervert!" Naruto yelled and edged away from Ebisu.

"Such insolence!" Ebisu replied and adjusted his glasses.

"KAKASHI SENSEI! WHY WOULD YOU PICK HIM!? HE SAW MY SEXY JUTSU ONCE AND FELL TO PIECES!" Naruto yelled at Kakashi who regarded Ebisu with a look of annoyance.

_GAH! THE HAUNTING SEXY JUTSU! BE QUIET ABOUT THAT YOU LITTLE BRAT!_ Ebisu thought as he grabbed Naruto and reassured him that he would buy him whatever he wanted to eat as long as he shut up.

"WHO THE HELL IS SHOUTING IN MY HOSPITAL!?"

Sakura stiffened immediately and recognised the furious voice of Tsunade. A door behind the reception desk opened and the angry blonde woman appeared. She stomped over and fixed them all with a look of violent rage.

_Please Kami I'm begging you don't let Naruto say anything stupid to enrage Tsunade-sama_, Sakura pleaded.

"Who the heck are you granny?" Naruto asked crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?" Tsunade yelled and punch Naruto into the wall.

_There goes that idea_, Sakura thought and lifted a hand to her forehead. Kakashi sighed as his loudmouth student detached himself from the wall which now sported a huge hole.

"What the heck was that for lady?" Naruto bellowed and was about to say more when Kakashi covered his mouth.

"For making noise in my hospital, for calling me a granny when I am not a day older than thirty and for being a general annoyance" Tsunade said ticking the points of on her hand.

"Naruto show some respect. This is Lady Tsunade; she is a renowned medical ninja one of the best and one of the legendary Sanin so you would be wise to watch your tongue" Kakashi said calmly.

_One of the Sanin? _Sakura thought, confused at Kakashi's words.

"Whatever I don't get what's so great about this lady with big boobs anyway" Naruto whined like a toddler and Tsunade looked ready to punch him again but Sakura stepped in.

"Uh don't mind Naruto he's like that with everyone and you're sorry _right_ Naruto for being so disrespectful?" Sakura urged digging her elbow into Naruto's side.

Naruto grunted but nodded in response, Tsunade narrowed her eyes but seemed satisfied and turned her attention to Sakura.

"You're that girl with pink hair who healed Hinata Hyuga right? Those medical nurses tell me you did a great job. Hinata is in a stabilised condition but she's still out of it" Tsunade remarked.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably it was odd to have to pretend she didn't know Tsunade but she smiled and bowed her head in thanks nonetheless. Naruto seemed pleased about Hinata's condition as well and grinned happily.

"You know with skills like yours I'd be willing to offer you a volunteer position at this hospital, it would be a good chance to learn from some of the most esteemed medical ninja in the country. That is if you're up for it" Tsunade offered, her eyes scanning the hospital for signs of disarray.

"As it happens Sakura here as a month of time to train for the final rounds of the Chunin Exams and I'm sure she could really benefit from some time spent learning more about medical ninjutsu" Kakashi encouraged and Naruto looked expectantly at his teammate.

"Sure it sounds like a wonderful opportunity to learn some new skills" Sakura agreed happily but wondered exactly what Tsunade had planned for her.

"Alright then I'll just ask you to step into my office and fill out the necessary paperwork. As for your teammate I want him out of him hospital within the next ten seconds or I'll throw him out myself" Tsunade declared and looked angrily at Naruto.

"R-right of course you're Saninship I-I mean Lady Tsunade I-I mean oh come on Naruto let's go!" Ebisu said nervously and tugged at Naruto's arm.

"I'm not going anywhere with you pervert! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto whined at the silver haired man.

"Naruto, Ebisu is a better instructor than I am. Work on your fundamentals and you'll be a lot stronger for the finals. Later" Kakashi said before disappearing.

"L-Let's go Naruto" Ebisu said still watching Tsunade apprehensively.

"Fine but you're still buying me ramen. Good luck with your training Sakura-chan!" Naruto waved before Ebisu dragged him out fearing Tsunade's actions.

Sakura watched them leave and turned to her sensei apprehensively but Tsunade had already begun walking back into her office and motioned for Sakura to follow. To say her sensei's office was a mess would be an understatement. Papers were scattered around covering the foor and desk, filing cabinets were stuffed to the brim with more papers and large folders. In between the mass amounts of paperwork Tsunade had clearly not bothered to sort, there were stethoscopes and bandages.

"Take a seat Sakura" Tsunade said and gestured to a seat in front of her desk piled high with more papers.

Moving them aside Sakura sat down and Tsunade reached within her desk to draw out a bottle of sake. Uncorking the bottle she moved some papers around before finding a glass and pouring herself some.

"So I hear you passed the preliminaries and you're in the finals congratulations. You look awful though and you might as well tell me all that happened. Including how the Uchiha kid got that mark on his neck" Tsunade said bluntly.

Sakura nodded there was really no point in hiding anything from Tsunade considering her sensei had a way of finding out information before she did. The pink haired teen regarded Tsunade for a minute; she wanted to ask her about this Sanin title that Kakashi and Ebisu had mentioned as well. Deciding she had to give information to get information Sakura proceeded to tell her all that had occurred during the second exam and the preliminaries. She once again left out Orochimaru's interest in her.

Once she had finished speaking Tsunade remained silent occasionally sipping on her sake. Finally she sighed and turned to her apprentice.

"Orochimaru huh? So he's back and wants the Uchiha boy. No doubt he's planning to attack the Leaf Village if he already hasn't begun getting the forces together to do so. My former teammate seems to be up to his old tricks once again" Tsunade muttered.

"Teammate!? Orochimaru was your teammate!? And what do you mean attack the Leaf Village!?" Sakura sputtered completely shocked.

"You're probably wondering what your sensei meant by Sanin. Sanin are the three legendary ninja one of which is me. The other two are my teammates Jiraiya and Orochimaru all three of us were trained under the Third Hokage. We all went our separate ways, Jiraiya and I remain loyal to the village but Orochimaru chose a different path" Tsunade explained her voice nostalgic.

"And the attack on the village?" Sakura ventured trying to regain her composure.

"My own speculation but I fear it will happen soon enough which is why you need to be ready for it. I'll be training you hard over this next month to prepare for the Chunin finals and for what may come after it. I'm serious about you volunteering at the hospital as well, although some of them can be completely useless there are skilled doctors and nurses here that you can learn from" Tsunade replied.

"Training? What kind of training? Lord Hokage said we needed to bring out our best for the finals. I'm facing that Temari girl and there is no way I want to lose" Sakura said.

"You'll bring your best alright this month will be the hardest you've ever trained in your life. Your taijutsu style chakra infusion fighting will be at a much greater capacity than it is now. Your stamina is going to be at the level that I'm happy with thus increasing your chakra reserves. I have some tricks up my sleeve don't you worry. Satisfied?" Tsunade asked.

"Plenty satisfied" Sakura replied and smiled.

"You have weaknesses that Temari girl will see. You'll need to tell me everything about her fight and all the others you saw fight as well. That way we can best prepare you especially if you run out of chakra and still need to fight without it. Also I want you to become a fully fledge nurse by the end of the month. That means full shifts at the hospitals healing patients in and out of surgery, people will be relying on you. I won't promote you to this until your medical ninjutsu is at the level required" Tsunade said swallowing some more sake.

"Alright I've got it. If this is what you want from me then I'm going to give it everything I have" Sakura replied even more determined.

"There is just one more thing I have to tell you and it explains why Sasuke Uchiha is not permitted visitors at the moment. There was an attempt on his life while you were still at the preliminaries by Kabuto Yakushi" Tsunade said gravely.

"Is he alright!?" Sakura asked horrified.

"He is stable and isn't any worse off than he was when he was brought in. As a matter of fact your teacher Kakashi Hatake stopped the attack. Kabuto escaped using the Dead Soul Jutsu which involves temporary control and animation over a dead body. He eliminated all traces of his scent and escaped by impersonating one of the dead ANBU Black Ops men he killed" Tsunade explained.

"Kabuto Yakushi. He helped us during the second exam and if he tried to kill Sasuke he must be working for that creep Orochimaru which means he was using us to get information! We should have killed him when we had the chance!" Sakura cried angrily recalling her and Sasuke's mutual suspicions of the man.

"Sakura you have great potential and I have faith you will become a strong medical ninja one day but you would have died trying to fight Kabuto. He is the adopted son of the Leaf Medical Core Chief and his medical ninjutsu is a force to be reckoned with. He is a threat to the Leaf Village, your teammate and he is your greatest rival. I'd like to see you beat him" Tsunade said in a calm voice.

Sakura watched her sensei for signs of deception or amusement but Tsunade's mouth was pressed into a tight line.

"I promise to work my hardest over this next month to win in the finals. If I need to defeat Kabuto Yakushi to become a stronger medical ninja then that is a goal I will work towards. I won't let him harm anyone close to me" Sakura said.

_Sakura has the determination to do this now all she needs is the training and knowledge. Kabuto won't know what hit him_; Tsunade thought and smirked in satisfaction.

"Nice attitude. Now all I have to do is find the papers you need to sign to start the volunteer program. Uh they're in here somewhere. Well as a volunteer for the Konoha Hospital your first task is to sort through all this paperwork and find your volunteer papers" Tsunade continued happily.

"Seriously!? All these papers!?" Sakura cried in outrage, there was no way one person could sort through all this.

"Yes its part of your training. Sort them as well would you while I go and oversee the hospital" Tsunade said and walked out of the office before Sakura could even respond.

"**Oversee the hospital yeah freaking right! She's probably gone to the bar or something!"** Inner Sakura was outraged.

Sakura simply sighed and began sorting through the piles of paperwork. 

* * *

><p>Three hours later and Tsunade's office had been arranged and clean. Sakura felt as though she were going to fall over from exhaustion and decided it was best to head home. As she had predicted Tsunade was nowhere to be found within the hospital and Sakura overheard a few of the nurses giggling about the blonde woman's drinking habits.<p>

"They are so lucky she isn't around to hear them" Sakura muttered as she walked slowly down the streets.

She was looking forward to a nice hot shower, a warm meal and a chance to speak with her mother about her father. Why Keiko Haruno had concealed the seriousness of her husband's situation Sakura didn't know but she was determined to find out. She would get stronger with Tsunade, much stronger and with the permission of the Third Hokage perhaps after she became a Chunin she could got out and search for her father.

Maybe Team 7 would accompany her. She knew Naruto would be up for a mission like that and Kakashi if she bribed him with the latest novel of his perverted orange book. Sakura didn't know if Sasuke would come or not. Honestly she didn't care who came and who didn't; she would go it alone if she had to.

_Even if he doesn't come back within the required time frame and people start to accept he's dead I will go and search for him. My father was one of the best elite ninja this village has ever seen and I know he is alive_, Sakura thought and clenched her fists angrily.

She would also ask her mother to sign the volunteer papers. Sakura needed parent/guardian consent before she could begin and according to one of the nurses at the reception desk her first shift was tomorrow. Finally reaching her house Sakura unlocked the door and sighed happily, being in the forest for five consecutive days made her miss luxuries like her bed and a hot shower.

"Mother I'm home! You will not believe the time we had in those exams I finally understand what you and father were talking about toughing it out away from the village as a ninja and I was still in the village technically!" Sakura called out cheerfully determined not to mention or remember Orochimaru for one night.

No response came to Sakura's call but the pink haired teen didn't think anything suspicious of it. Her mother loved to late afternoon grocery shop. She was a friendly and vibrant person by nature and she loved to approach the vendors after the busy rush during the day to speak with them. Sakura smiled at the thought, her mother was compassionate, friendly and loved by many in the village.

Walking into the kitchen Sakura felt her stomach rumble and headed towards the fridge hoping there would be something edible. Opening the door and rifling through it she found a single green apple and bit into it hungrily. It didn't escape Sakura's notice that the fridge seemed quite sparsely stocked but it wasn't unlike her mother to practically clean out the contents of the kitchen before going out to restock it.

It wasn't until she noticed the white envelope sitting in the middle of the dining room table with her name on it that she knew something could be wrong. Sakura remained completely motionless and did a check for any foreign chakra signals or genjutsu. Her eyes scanned the room looking for ninja wire or anything out of place that would indicate a trap of any kind. Cautiously she moved forward and picked up the envelope with a shaking hand.

Her name was written on the front in small but elegant script. Sakura recognised the writing as her mothers and immediately ripped the envelope open. A piece of paper fell onto the table and Sakura picked it up and began to read.

_Sakura,_

_I hope you are alive to read this. I know how hard the Chunin exams can be and I hope you and your team made it through. I have never been one to avoid the truth so I will tell you all that has occurred since you left five days ago for the second exams. _

_Your father has been officially classified as a missing ninja by the village. Some of the ninja from the A ranked mission he went on have returned to the village but he was not among them. His separation from them was mysterious as they claimed that one minute he was with the squad and the next he had disappeared without a trace. No chakra signal or scent or anything they could track him with. Even more strange there was no sign of any kind of struggle._

_He is still technically a missing ninja but anyone with sense would come to the conclusion that he is dead. But I refuse to accept it as I'm sure you do as well, your father is a great ninja and he would not simply just wander off or disappear. Your father would have fought for his life if he were under attack to come back to me and you. It is suspicious which is why I have no choice but to leave the Leaf Village and go in search of him. By the time you return from the Chunin exams I will have left. _

_I love you father with all my heart and soul and I know deep within my heart that he is not dead. You are growing into a strong young woman Sakura, your father and I are very proud of you. I have noticed you are training much harder and more determined than ever to become a successful ninja. I believe in you and so does your father and we love you so much. Should we not return I want you to know that and keep that with you for the rest of your life. _

_Because you are my daughter I know you will want to come and find me and help to search for your father. It is here that I forbid you to do so. You are our only daughter and we do not want to put you in danger. Please do not follow me Sakura, I swear to you until the last breath flows out of my body that I will search for your father and bring him back home. _

_Please conceal my leaving for as long as you can. I have left money for you in a box under the bed in my room, it will be enough to see you through the rest of this year. Hopefully you will be skilled enough to earn a wage through you missions. I wish that you continue with your work as a ninja and follow your dreams, your father wishes this as well. I love you and I'm sorry. We'll be back before you know it. _

_Because I know how stubborn you are: Don't follow me!_

_Kekio Haruno _

For a while all Sakura could hear was her own heavy breathing as she read and re-read the letter her mother had left. Suddenly the silent room was filled with loud sobbing and Sakura put a hand over her mouth when she realised the sobs were hers. A mixture of complete exhaustion and devastation caused her to end up on the floor crying continuously.

After a while her tears stopped and Sakura was able to read the letter without feeling as though her heart was being ripped in two. What her mother did made sense, of course she would go after her father and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were not at all like her father. Sakura agreed with her mother, her father would have fought back against whoever it was and there should have been signs of a struggle.

Keiko Haruno was stubborn and determined and strong, if there was anyone who could find Sakura's father it would be her mother of course. But to make Sakura promise not to follow her made the pink haired teen angrier than she'd ever been in her life. After all this time she still wasn't strong enough to be of any use, not even when her own family was in trouble.

"Why would you leave me here alone like this!?" Sakura screamed and threw the letter across the room in a fit of anger.

Calming herself down Sakura quickly went and retrieved it. She hugged the note to her chest and tried to think about the situation calmly. She would honour her mother's request and conceal her leaving the village for as long as possible. Sakura knew she couldn't let herself think of the possibility that her parents wouldn't return. They would return and she would be strong enough to heal both of them when they did and they would be proud of her like they promised.

"After the Chunin exams I will be a stronger person, after this month of training with Tsunade I will be stronger and I will find you both and bring you home. I'll be strong enough to do it and I won't stop until I find you both, dead or alive" Sakura vowed.

Her voice echoed throughout the empty house and Sakura felt the tears threatening to fall again as she realised she was now all alone. They fell and just as quickly Sakura wiped them away, standing up shakily she reached for the paper work for the volunteer position at the hospital. Sakura took a pen and forged her mother's signature where it was needed.

Swallowing hard Sakura made the necessary journey to her parent's room to collect the money her mother had left. She made a point of turning away from all the family photos that on every other occasion would have brought a smile to her face. Sakura knew if she looked at them she wouldn't be able to stop crying. Biting down hard on her lip she entered her parent's room and hurriedly looked under the bed. Finding the box her mother had written about Sakura secured it under her arm and made her way to her own room.

Emotionally drained and physically exhausted Sakura wanted nothing more than to lay on her bed and fall asleep pretending she hadn't come home from the preliminaries to the mess that was her family life now.

"**We can't sleep now, remember there is no food in the house. Take the money and buy groceries, drop off the volunteer forms at the hospital now that they're complete. It's okay, we'll be okay I promise"** Inner said in a soothing voice much like she had when Sakura was being bullied at the academy.

Finding the strength in Inner's urging, the female ninja of Team 7 hid the box full of money in her room taking some money with her to buy groceries. Heading downstairs she grabbed the volunteer paperwork and the letter her mother had written her. She hid the latter in her training uniform and made for the door. It was going to be tough, all the vendors would be inquiring after her mother and Sakura wasn't sure she could do it.

_No I have to. If I want to get strong enough to find them I have to be emotionally strong enough to face the fact that they're both gone now and it's just me left in this village_, Sakura thought and plastered a smile on her face and left her family home which now housed just one. 

* * *

><p>Sakura's first day of volunteer work at the hospital was hard with very little reward. The nurses didn't know what to make of her for the most part. Some were cautiously nice, other avoided her all together and some made it known outright that they didn't like her because of her closeness with Tsunade.<p>

Sakura had barely the night before due to the horrific dreams involving Orochimaru and the moment Sasuke received the curse mark. The coupled with the thought of her parents dead resulted in a grand total of two hours of sleep at most. Her shift was an early start and Tsunade was nowhere to be found.

She was put to work immediately cleaning rooms of patients, disposing of used or unwanted medical items and general hospital maintenance. One of the nurses had explained to her that as it was her first shift she wouldn't be healing anyone but rather just getting to know her way around the place. Sakura was secretly grateful; as much as she wanted to improve her medical ninjutsu she was much too exhausted.

"Sakura I have your itinerary for tomorrow" Tsunade called out just as Sakura was about to leave.

The blonde woman had turned up towards the end of the day barking orders at doctors and nurses alike. Taking the piece of paper Tsunade held out for her Sakura was surprised and relieved to see she was off cleaning duty.

"You'll begin your medical ninjutsu training tomorrow, there are several surgeries scheduled and I want you to attend each. Be fully involved and observe all that you can, the doctors performing those surgeries are some of the best. If they need help you give it to them. Since I won't always be here my assistant Shizune will oversee your development and report back to me. You'll meet her tomorrow. You will spend the majority of your day at the hospital and then the late afternoons and into the night training with me" Tsunade explained looking as tired as Sakura felt.

Sakura read through the itinerary carefully but stopped suddenly. Written at the bottom of the page was a list of names and one of them was Sasuke's.

"Uh Shishou why is Sasuke's name on here? And Lee's as well?" Sakura asked in confusion as she read through the names again.

_Sasuke Uchiha, Rock Lee, Hinata Hyuga and some other names I don't recognise at all. What is this? _Sakura thought and looked at her sensei in confusion.

"Ah, those are your patients in a matter of speaking. They've finished treatment and are just resting until they are fully recovered. They've been allocated to you and your job is to check their charts and vitals. Heal any wounds that may have reopened, make sure they're taking their medication those sorts of things" Tsunade said grabbing a folder from the reception desk and rifling through it.

"But Sasuke's not conscious yet is he?" Sakura asked.

"No but you're still required to perform all those things I mentioned on each patient conscious or not. Besides I needed someone to take the Uchiha kid's rounds. Some of the female nurses were a little too keen" Tsunade replied.

"Too keen?" Sakura asked feigning ignorance.

Her hands clenched into fists at the thought of those girls taking advantage of Sasuke while he was unconscious. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Tsunade who supressed a smirk.

"You could say they were getting a little too personally involved in their jobs. All their squealing and fawning was aggravating the doctors and other nurses and most importantly me. Shizune decided that it would be better to take him off their rounds than to chakra punch all of them but I disagree" Tsunade replied.

Sakura bit her lip and looked at the ground angrily. It wasn't fair of them to be using her teammate for their fangirling pleasure. Sasuke had been through a lot and was only just starting to recover, there'd even been an attempt on his life and all they could do was squeal over him.

"**CHA! Tsunade-sama was totally right! She should have kicked their butts!** Inner Sakura screamed.

"Well in any case you have a long day tomorrow and you should probably go home and get some rest. It hasn't escaped my attention that you look like you're about to fall over and die from exhaustion. It does you know good for your training to be this tired so I'm giving you these" Tsunade instructed.

Reaching into her pocked the elite ninja pulled out a container of pills and handed them to her student. "They're sleeping pills, take two an hour before you got to sleep and you'll be out like a light I promise"

Sakura nodded and pocketed the pills. "I'd better be going then, thank you for all your help Shishou. I'll make sure to work hard tomorrow"

Tsunade smirked as she watched her pink haired student leave, Sakura seemed completely oblivious to the affection she harbored for her teammate and preferred to throw herself into her training. That suited Tsunade just fine after all the Uchiha brat was perhaps even more oblivious and stubborn.

Sighing to herself Tsunade picked up the contents of the folder once more and walked into her office. Sakura had done an exceptional job, the office was clean and organised but to Tsunade it felt odd and foreign. Putting the folder away in the cabinet she sat down at her desk which held a fresh stack of paperwork courtesy of Shizune. Tsunade picked up the nearest one which happened to contain the days report on Sasuke Uchiha.

_Uchiha Sasuke is conscious but is sleeping each time a nurse visits the room to check on him. He has not consumed any of the medication set aside for him. _

Tsunade chuckled it was easy enough to see what he was doing, the Uchiha kid didn't like the gaggle of teenage nurses fawning over him when they came to do a check-up so he faked unconsciousness. A plan of sorts and it did seem to fool the teenagers but not her senior nursing staff. They were getting frustrated at the boy and Tsunade didn't blame them. That was where Sakura came in, Tsunade was sure at the appearance of his female teammate Sasuke Uchiha would miraculously awake from his coma. Hell Sakura might even convince him to take the damn medication.

_Either way it's going to work in my favour_, Tsunade thought happily as she decided to ditch the paperwork and head out. 

* * *

><p>Sasuke was annoyed to say the least it was his third day in the hospital and he knew the preliminaries were over. All the other candidates who had made it through were his rivals for the finals and he knew they would all be training. Meanwhile Sasuke remained in the hospital, knowing nothing of the final rounds or the fate of his teammates and spent his time pretending to be unconscious when the familiar pack of giggling nurses arrived in his room.<p>

The Uchiha prodigy looked sullenly at the clock and lay down in his bed ready to pull the unconscious act again. It was almost twelve and he knew they would be on time, squealing and fawning over him. Sasuke wanted to leave the stupid hospital he didn't need the medication or the help. He was fine and he needed to start training for the final exams as soon as possible. Hearing footsteps Sasuke dragged the blankets up over his body and shut his eyes preparing for the onslaught.

_I'm an Uchiha I shouldn't be cowering like a frightened animal because of a pack of stupid ignorant girls. Hn, it's annoying but I'll tell them to get lost and if they don't listen then the fireball jutsu will be required_, Sasuke thought and angrily pulled the covers back down.

He sat up against the bed frame preparing to silence the stupid nurses one way or another. His ninja outfit remained in the cupboard in his room. Sasuke would put it on and then leave the hospital to find Kakashi and start training. The Uchiha boy could hear the footsteps getting closer but it seemed as though there was just one set and the giggling that would normally follow was absent. The door to his room pulled back to reveal Sakura Haruno and Sasuke swore he'd never been more grateful in his life.

"Sasuke you're awake, they told me you were still unconscious! Do you need food or water or any sort of medical attention? Does anything hurt?" Sakura babbled away completely unsure of what to do now that Sasuke was conscious.

"Hn. Sakura I'm fine" Sasuke replied and smirked a little at the arrival of his teammate.

"Well I guess I should just continue on with what they've instructed me to do" Sakura said and picked up the chart at the end of his bed.

"They?" Sasuke asked he had assumed Sakura had come to visit him. Taking in his female teammate's attire he saw the same outfit the group of giggling nurses had been wearing.

"Yeah I'm working here now sort of. It's a volunteer position at the moment to improve my medical ninjutsu. So you seem to be alright and the head nurse who visited you this morning hasn't written anything on your chart to say otherwise. But I'm told you're not taking your medication" Sakura said and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Hn. It's stupid I'm fine, besides I need to be training for the final rounds. I have to get stronger and I can't do that lying in this bed" Sasuke huffed and Sakura smiled an idea forming in her head.

"I'll make you a deal, you take the medication and I'll tell you everything that happened after you left the preliminaries including who you're fighting first in the final round" Sakura offered raising her eyebrows comically.

Sasuke regarded her for a moment before reaching for the pills next to his bed and popped two in his mouth. Swallowing he smirked up at his teammate. "Talk Sakura" he instructed.

For the next hour Sakura sat on Sasuke's hospital bed and told him everything about the preliminaries. She gave him a brief overview of her fight with Ino and Naruto's fight with Kiba, Sasuke nodded and seemed pleased that the whole of Team 7 had made it through to the finals. Sakura also mentioned Naruto's training with Ebisu and Kakashi's intention to train Sasuke. The Uchiha boy seemed to perk up a little upon hearing that. Sasuke spoke a little as well, he thanked Sakura for her assistance with sealing away the cursed mark. He swore to her and himself that he had it under control now.

Sakura explained the way the finals were going to work and that Team 7 could all end up fighting each other. Sasuke's eyes hardened but he motioned for her to continue and Sakura explained Gaara's fight in great detail and told her teammate that he would be up against the Sand Ninja. Sasuke smirked in response and his eyes were full of determination, he had wanted to fight Gaara from the moment he first saw him and now was his chance. Sakura had stopped talking and Sasuke noticed she had dark circles under her eyes.

"Sakura why haven't you been sleeping" Sasuke asked annoyed at the thought of his female teammate not sleeping well.

"Oh um it's all the training I've been doing for the finals plus shifts at the hospital" Sakura lied not wanting to burden Sasuke with her personal problems.

"Hn. Training is what I need to be doing" Sasuke commented bitterly.

"Well you're not due to be discharged for another three days at most. Is that the time!? I have an hour off for lunch but I need to attend two more surgeries and then I need to prepare for training tomorrow!" Sakura panicked and hopped off the bed when she saw the time.

Acting on pure impulse Sasuke grabbed her wrist before she could leave and Sakura spun around to face him.

"Hn. I'm hungry enough now to eat the hospital food. Have lunch with me" Sasuke said looking slightly embarrassed.

Sakura smiled remembering the day at the academy where she wanted nothing more to have lunch with Sasuke. But this time he had not so much asked but instructed her to eat with him. Sakura looked over the rudeness of the request after all there were things about Sasuke she knew that wouldn't change. She wanted to eat lunch with him but not for a romantic gain this time but to be his teammate and his friend.

Accepting the request Sakura pressed the intercom above Sasuke's bed requesting that a meal be sent up for the patient and asked to have her own lunch brought up along with it. Tsunade who happened to be leaving her office heard the request come through at reception and smirked knowingly. 

* * *

><p>The next four weeks continued the same. Sakura attended surgeries and followed the tutelage of Tsunade's assistant Shizune who was a level headed and practical medical ninja who was extremely loyal to Tsunade. Sakura admired and respected her knowing that Tsunade had full confidence and trust in her medical abilities. Shizune also began tutoring Sakura in the art of poison related medical ninjutsu. Shizune explained that the tips of senbon could also be poisoned making them an effective tool in battle. With Tsunade's approval in their free time together at the hospital, Shizune began teaching Sakura the poison senbon technique for the finals.<p>

In her training with Tsunade Sakura was beaten, broken and pushed to the limit. Then Tsunade would heal her and they would continue again. They worked on taijutsu and building Sakura's speed up for avoidance. Tsunade would find anything and everything she could and would hurl the objects at Sakura. Then chakra infused taijutsu training and the trees that littered the training grounds became Sakura's practice objects.

Tsunade would instruct her to hit them until they splintered and punch the ground until it broke. It was initially frustrating, the trees refused to splinter and the ground would sustain minimal damage. But as her stamina increased and her chakra control became more precise thanks to the practical hands on experience she received from healing her patients at the hospital the trees began to splinter and the ground began to break apart into sizeable chunks. Tsunade would run her down until Sakura was completely out of chakra and then charge at her student with everything she had. Sakura learnt to fight competently relying on taijutsu techniques.

Tsunade noticed the progress and was pleased; it began to take her longer than normal to get Sakura's chakra reserve down to nothing. In situations where Sakura would have been unable to continue before she was now able to keep fighting, chakra or no chakra. In her own private time at home Sakura poured over her medical book practicing the techniques she had seen and learnt at the hospital on small animals in her garden at home. She also made sure to keep her ninjutsu skills affective by practicing them continuously. Tsunade had begun to teach her the basics of a jutsu that Sakura could use in the finals depending on her opponent. Sakura practiced this in secret. All in all she was happy with how her training was progressing.

The staff at the hospital began to see her potential and rely on her more. Sakura would often be called to participate in surgery as another set of hands, not just an observer. The doctors and nurses relied on her level headiness during an operation and sometimes even asked her opinion on what should be done. They found the girl as young as she was full of very insightful advice and tips from the medical book she carried around with her constantly.

Sasuke had left the hospital before he was due to be discharged; Sakura expected it but couldn't help feeling disappointed that he wasn't on her patient roster anymore. In the following two days after their initial encounter Sasuke became the model patient, he took his medicine and didn't complain.

Both members of Team 7 spent Sakura's lunch break together talking, well it was mostly Sakura doing the talking but Sasuke seemed content enough to listen and spoke a little when he wanted to. It seemed as though their friendship was beginning to find sturdier ground.

When Sakura walked into his room on the third day she wasn't at all surprised to see he had left, Sasuke had told her the day before that he was going to go and find Kakashi to begin his training for the exams. He promised he would see her on the first day of the finals. Sakura nodded it made no sense for Sasuke to remain in the hospital when he could be out preparing for the finals. Sasuke didn't miss the flash of hurt in her eyes when he told her he would be leaving but just as quickly it was gone. Although he would never admit it to her, Sasuke would miss their lunch break talks just as much as Sakura would.

But soon enough Naruto was admitted to the hospital and Sakura had another member of Team 7 added to her patient list. Apparently his training had been so rigorous that Naruto had completely passed out and had been in a coma for about three days. Sakura had clocked off from her shift, it was the night before the third round of the Chunin exams and Tsunade decided that Sakura should go home early and get a good night's rest. Before she left Sakura decided she should pay a visit to Naruto to see if he had awoken. Sakura knew how important the exams were to him and she hoped he wouldn't have to miss them.

Opening the door to his room Sakura found Shikamaru Nara engaged in a one person game of shougi. The lazy boy looked up and nodded at Sakura before resuming his game. Sakura sat opposite him and Shikamaru cleared the board before setting up a new game so she could play as well. Sakura spied the basket of fruit at Shikamaru's feet and looked at him questioningly.

"They were for Choji but the nurse said he couldn't have any of it. Serves him right I guess for stuffing his face at the all you can eat barbeque Asuma took him to. Now he's in here with a stomach ache" Shikamaru explained and Sakura repressed a laugh.

"I decided to give them to the kid but he's still unconscious" Shikamaru continued and began the game with Sakura.

Reaching for the sand timer Shikamaru stopped when he noticed the sand wasn't running like it should have been.

"Maybe it's blocked by something?" Sakura wondered as she noticed the timer as well.

Naruto began to stir and opened his eyes seeing a room and a bed completely unfamiliar to him. Looking to his left he saw Sakura and Shikamaru talking with each other.

"So you're finally awake Naruto" Sakura said happily as she noticed her blond teammate opening his eyes.

"About time too, the nurses said you've been out for three days straight" Shikamaru added.

"THREE DAYS STRAIGHT! WHEN DOES THE FINAL COMPETITION BEGIN!?" Naruto bellowed and stood up on his bed.

"Uh tomorrow" Shikamaru replied looking completely freaked out. Sakura simply sighed; of course when Naruto awoke things couldn't be simple.

"WHY DIDN'T ANYONE WAKE ME UP SOONER? I CAN'T BE LYING AROUND AT A TIME LIKE THIS! PERVY SAGE, WHERE THE HECK IS PERVY SAGE!?" Naruto screamed and seized a hold of Shikamaru.

_Pervy Sage?_ Sakura thought as she watched Naruto rip apart the hospital room searching for his clothes.

"Naruto would you knock it off! Resting the night before a big competition can be good" Sakura said in an annoyed tone.

Naruto immediately stopped moving and sat down. Looking at Sakura he gripped his stomach in pain. "I'm starving is there anything to eat?" he whined.

Shikamaru reached down and pulled out the basket of fruit he had brought. "Here dig in, it was meant for Choji but he's had one short rib too many and the doctors won't let him have any"

Naruto grinned and reached for a big apple but began giggling to himself. "Let's all go and eat this in front of Choji! It'll drive him crazy!"

Sakura laughed and Shikamaru smiled. Helping Naruto up they were making their way to Choji's room when Sakura saw light streaming through the door of Lee's room which had been left open a crack. Lee had been sleeping a lot and Sakura barely had any time to talk to him.

"Uh guys why don't you go on ahead. I think Lee might finally be awake and I want to visit him" Sakura said.

"Bushy brow! No I want to see him too!" Naruto said happily and followed Sakura. Shikamaru set the basket of fruit down in front of Choji's room before following Sakura and Naruto.

Something wasn't right. There were noises coming from inside Lee's room like the sound of running water. Pulling the door back Sakura, Naruto and Shikamaru were horrified by what they saw. Gaara was using his sand jutsu to constrict Lee, the sand had enveloped his bed and Gaara held a hand out controlling it with a demonic look in his eye. Just as he was about to close his hand to perform the Sand Coffin technique, Gaara was suddenly unable to move.

Shikamaru had trapped him with his shadow possession jutsu and Naruto ran forward and punched Gaara across the face. Shikamaru recoiled and glared and the blond boy.

"Hey take it easy, I'm using my Shadow Possession jutsu so if you hit him I get hit too" Shikamaru said rubbing at his cheek.

"Oh sorry Shikamaru. What the heck do you think you're doing in here you rat!?" Naruto asked angrily.

Sakura looked at Lee and did quick vitals check, no harm had come to him but Gaara's sand sat on his bed unmoving. Gaara remained silent staring at the three ninja who had interrupted him.

"You're not allowed to be in here. You don't have clearance. What were you planning to do if we hadn't come in and stopped you?" Sakura asked in a calm voice.

Gaara watched her carefully. "I was going to kill him" he said darkly.

"You already beat him once in the competition so what's your problem? Wasn't that enough or do you have some kind of personal grudge against him?" Shikamaru demanded.

"I have nothing against him. It's nothing that complicated I simply want to kill him that's all" Gaara replied as cool as ice.

"YOU'RE SICK IN THE HEAD!" Naruto accused and pointed his finger at Gaara in horror.

"You must be kidding yourself if you think we're just going to stand by and let you do whatever you want" Sakura added angrily.

_There's always been something off about this guy even though there's three of us I'm not sure we can stop him if he makes a move_, Shikamaru thought a little anxious.

"If you three don't stay out of my way I'll have to kill you as well" Gaara said his voice void of any emotion.

"YEAH WE'LL I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!" Naruto challenged.

"Hey take it easy kid" Shikamaru said and he and Sakura exchanged glances, the best way out of the situation given what Gaara was capable of was to bluff their way through it.

"Yeah we saw your match against Lee and we know you're tough. But us three, you haven't seen half of what we're capable of" Shikamaru said confidently.

"Not to mention it's three against one and I like those odds don't you Naruto?" Sakura said and turned to her teammate.

"HELL YEAH THAT'S RIGHT!" Naruto affirmed loudly.

"I'll say it once more, if you get in my way I'll kill all three of you" Gaara repeated in the same dead voice.

_Well that went fantastically. I can't believe this is the guy Sasuke has to fight first_, Sakura thought as she clenched her fists. It seemed as though they needed a different approach.

"AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY IT!" Naruto declared again.

"Don't say that! We want to steer clear of him, you saw him fight it's like he's a demon or something" Shikamaru said.

"He can act like he's a demon but I've got a real one inside of me so let's see him try" Naruto replied confidently.

"A demon huh? My demon is as real as yours is, from my birth my upbringing was not what most people would consider a happy childhood. To make sure I became the strongest of shinobi my father cast his ninjutsu on me fusing my unborn self with the sand spirit. I destroyed the life of the woman who gave birth to me. Its name is Shukaku" Gaara explained.

Naruto froze and stared at Gaara taking in the information. Sakura watched her teammate cautiously the blond boy appeared to be making parallels from his own experiences with Gaara's.

"What a guy your father was, he must have really loved you" Shikamaru said sarcastically.

"Don't hold or measure me to your standards of love. Love and family, the only emotional ties I have to my family are the ones I'd like to wrap around their necks. They are ties of hate I was brought into the world as the salvation of my village. Nurtured and pampered as the Kazekage child. I was taught the inner most secrets of the shinobi, my father pampered and protected me. I thought that was love but that was when it started" Gaara responded an edge to his voice.

"When what started?" Sakura asked. She, Naruto and Shikamaru were completely drawn in and horrified by what the red headed boy was saying. But it kept his killer sand away from Lee so Sakura was determined to keep it up.

"In the six years after my sixth birthday my father has tried to destroy me more times than I can count" Gaara said, the look in his eyes changing to one of sheer madness as his pupils became smaller.

"You just said your father pampered and protected you and now you claim he tried to destroy you? Which is it?" Shikamaru asked.

"Those who have power are apt to be feared, soon even those in the village began to realise I had emotional problems. I was created for salvation but by the time I was six I became a figure of terror. So you see how my purpose in life had failed and what was the point in me continuing to live? You need a purpose to live" Gaara said.

_I know just what he means every word exactly. He's the same as me_, Naruto thought as he watched Gaara move to speak again.

"But I found it and to put it simply my purpose lies in the killing of others. For years I lived in fear of those who would try to murder me but now I am at peace. I've killed many would be assassins and this made the truth even clearer. I love only myself and I live solely for myself, it is the killing of others that sustains me and so long is there are people to kill I will never disappear" Gaara finished.

Sakura and Shikamaru exchanged horrified glances but Naruto stared at Gaara. The blond boy had Iruka, he had seen the demon within Naruto but gave him a purpose something to live for. But Gaara had none of it and the conclusion he reached for his purpose was disastrous.

_Could I have ended up like that if I hadn't had Iruka-sensei?_ Naruto thought and a trickle of sweat fell down his forehead. He quickly made a move for the door.

"Hey where are you going Naruto!?" Sakura called out to her teammate.

Before any of the three Leaf Ninja could do anything Gaara had reactivated his sand jutsu somehow despite being in Shikamaru's shadow possession jutsu. Naruto remained frozen in place, his eyes fixated on Gaara. Sakura jumped in front of her teammate.

"NARUTO! Ah come on this is such a drag!" Shikamaru declared as all three looked at the sand in terror. It was faster than them and there wasn't anywhere they could go that it wouldn't follow.

"Alright that's enough" A voice resounded through the room and everyone turned to see Gai standing in the doorway.

"Save it for tomorrow, that's when the real competition begins" Gai said as he eyed Gaara unhappily.

It was as though a spasm of pain had gone through him and Sakura watched as Gaara seized tuffs of hair trying to calm himself. His breathing became rapid and uneven as the sand retracted from around Lee and the rest of the room travelling back into Gaara's gourd. Straightening up the Sand ninja walked out of the room slowly as though nothing had happened.

"All the same I will kill you three. I can promise that" Gaara vowed and left the room. Sakura watched him go and immediately feared for the safety of her own life, Sasuke's and Naruto's. 

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

I hope you liked the chapter! I know I'm a couple of days late but this week was my first week of University so I might be a week and a few days late from now on. But I won't abandon the story I swear! I'll keep you all updated on my update times depending on when exams are and all.

Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, I've had a great time responding to all of them and communicating with you all! It's really exciting stuff and so many of you have given me good ideas so I appreciate that! :D

So let me know what you all thought of the latest installment and I'll see you in a week and a bit for the first part of the finals for the Chunin exams!


	28. Finals Part 1

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>The stadium where the finals for the Chunin exams were to be held was located just outside the central part of the Leaf Village. It was here that Sakura Haruno stood alongside the other finalists in the middle of the stadium as they all waited for the last portion of the exams to begin. The stadium was packed and it seemed as though the entire village had turned out to watch the battles. This wasn't counting the visitors from the other villages that had come to support their individual contenders.<p>

There was a closed off section in the upper right hand side for all the visiting dignitaries and their entourages which included elite protection. Sarutobi sat in an individual area in the middle of the stadium with the Kazekage from the Sunkagure beside him. Sakura couldn't make out what they were saying to each other but to her it seemed as though the Third was uncomfortable.

Sakura rubbed her hands together nervously. She was the only member of Team 7 standing in the stadium. Naruto and Sasuke were nowhere to be seen and it seemed as though everyone was ready to get underway.

Hayate was supposed to be the proctor for the third exam but apparently there were complications and the battles for the final round were to be overseen by a man named Genma Shiranui. He had hardly spoken to them other than to tell them that he was going to be the proctor and then he had ignored them. Genma would glance up every so often at the Hokage for conformation that the exams should start.

_Where are Sasuke and Naruto! These exams are ready to start any second and there's no way they're going to hold off just for those two!_ Sakura thought as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"GAHHHH WHAT THE HELL YOU FREAKY BULLS!?" Naruto yelled as he flew through one of the entrances and landed on the hard stadium floor. Dazed and a little confused the blond boy sat up rubbing his head.

"Naruto?" Sakura called and walked over to her teammate.

"Oh Sakura-chan! Am I too late? Oh right the bulls! Everyone needs to be prepared because there is a whole heard of those guys coming straight for us!" Naruto whipped his head around only to discover there was nothing there.

"Look I don't know what you're talking about but I'm glad you made it. Sasuke isn't here yet though and the exams are about to begin" Sakura said a little anxiously.

"Don't worry Sakura I'm sure the Teme will be here soon he's not going to miss an opportunity like this! I want to fight him myself!" Naruto exclaimed and Sakura relaxed a little.

"Hey you two enough with the chatter you're at a competition remember and people have paid to see you fight. So stand up straight and face the spectators" Genma instructed, removing the senbon from his mouth.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged sheepish glances and turned around to look at the crowd in the packed stadium. They cheered loudly calling out the names of their favourite competitors. Sakura observed her rivals carefully and happened to catch Gaara's eye. She flinched recalling her encounter with him at the hospital and quickly looked away. Naruto followed Sakura's eyes and narrowed his own when he met Gaara's gaze.

Sarutobi noted that the Uchiha boy had not arrived and the third exams were due to start in less than a minute. A Jounin guard came up and whispered something into his ear, Sasuke Uchiha was still missing and the Anbu Black Ops had found no trace of him thus far. Sarutobi's eyes narrowed, were they too late? Was it possible that the Uchiha boy had gone to Orochimaru already?

The third nodded and dismissed the Jounin before turning towards the Kazekage.

"It seems as though we are missing Uchiha Sasuke from our list of finalists. I know how eager you were to see the fight between him and Gaara but I'm afraid we need to begin the exam" Sarutobi said.

"That is a shame but surely you can hold off a little longer before beginning the exams. You must remember Sarutobi that I did travel a great deal to make it here today whilst you had the convenience of the exams being held in your village. I do not want my trip to be wasted and I think the Uchiha boy will make an appearance" The Fourth Kazekage said, his face shielded from view by a veil. The only part of him visible was his eyes.

"As you wish Lord Kazekage I will give Genma the order not to continue the match for another five minutes" Sarutobi replied and gave the Kazekage a controlled smile.

Meanwhile down on the ground of the stadium floor Genma informed the finalist that the matches wouldn't be starting for another five minutes to give Uchiha Sasuke time to arrive. Sakura breathed a small sigh of relief but her eyes hardened, five minutes wasn't a long time for Sasuke to make it especially if he'd left the village to train with Kakashi.

The minutes ticked by and Sasuke still hadn't shown up. Naruto's happy and determined demeanour became suspicious and doubtful.

_Sasuke wouldn't miss this for anything so it's not like him not to be here on time_, Naruto thought growing concerned that his teammate still hadn't arrived.

The crowd had started to become restless as many had bought tickets purely to see the match between Sasuke and Gaara. Sakura had heard the gossip flowing in and out through the hospital about it; their match was the one people were most eager to see.

Sakura once again found herself looking at Gaara and noticed he seemed to be shaking a little and wore the same expression he had worn last night in the hospital when he had tried to kill Lee. Did Gaara kill Sasuke? No it would be impossible for him to, Sasuke was with Kakashi and there was no way he could have!

Sakura's thoughts overwhelmed her so much that she didn't notice a dark green leaf spiralling through the air even though there were no trees inside the stadium. The leaf was soon joined by another one and another one. Naruto caught one in his hand and gaze at it curiously.

The leaves gathered in greater numbers and swirled around like a vortex before clearing to reveal Kakashi Hatake and his student Sasuke Uchiha standing back to back in the middle of the stadium. The crowd began to cheer wildly at the arrival of the Uchiha boy and Naruto wore a grin that Sakura thought might split his face in two.

His hair was longer Sakura observed and his genin uniform of blue shirt with the Uchiha crest and white shorts were gone. He now wore an outfit of all black including his ninja sandals but the emblem of his clan remained on the back of his shirt as dominant as ever. Kakashi remained the same and regarded Genma was a guilty smile under his mask.

"Uh I know we're a little late but you're not going to have to do something like disqualify Sasuke from the finals right?" Kakashi asked and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Like teacher like student I see Kakashi. You were never on time for anything from what I recall of our genin days. I was just about to tell the Hokage that Sasuke would be disqualified but you made it with thirty seconds to spare" Genma replied in a bored tone.

"Hear that Sasuke, we're not disqualified hm?" Kakashi stopped and noticed that his student was no longer beside him.

Sasuke had spied Sakura standing next to Naruto towards the end of the line-up of candidates and began to walk towards his teammates. Kakashi shrugged and disappeared presumably to seat himself in the stadium somewhere.

"Hn. Sakura" Sasuke said addressing her and ignoring Naruto. His tone suggested he was pleased to see her. His stare seemed to pierce through her but Sakura held his eye confidently.

"Sasuke. Nice of you to show" Sakura quipped and her eyes danced with mirth.

"Wouldn't miss it" Sasuke responded a smirk growing on his face.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the exchange of banter between the two teammates and glared at Naruto who fidgeted persistently beside him. It was obvious Sasuke and Sakura were in their own world of short sentence communication and inside jokes leaving Naruto feeling left out.

"YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE THE CENTRE OF ATTENTION DON'T YOU SASUKE!?" Naruto bellowed pointing his finger accusingly at his friend.

"Dobe I see you're as loud as ever" Sasuke responded and Sakura supressed a laugh.

"Whatever just don't slack off and lose to that Gaara guy. I want to fight you remember" Naruto said determinedly.

"Hn. Make sure you win dobe" Sasuke instructed and Naruto nodded happily.

Gaara had watched the exchange between Sasuke and Sakura and he felt the blood lust boil beneath his skin. The girl was important to him that much was obvious and he cared for her, did she play a role in his purpose? Despite Sasuke's knowledge of true loneliness was that girl Sakura Haruno somehow acting as a remedy?

She cared for him too and he cared for her, Gaara could feel it radiating off them and it made him almost physically sick. The sand ninja clutched at his head in pain as flashes of the man most precious to him appeared. Getting a hold of himself Gaara vowed to destroy Sasuke Uchiha and everything he cared about. The demon inside of him rumbled in agreement.

"It seems you were correct Lord Kazekage. Sasuke Uchiha has made it within the five minute time frame and now we can begin the final round of the Chunin Exams. However the decision has been made that the match between Uchiha and Gaara will be pushed back" Sarutobi said firmly.

"As you wish Lord Hokage. I merely requested that the time be extended and I have no quarrel as to when Gaara and the Uchiha boy fight. But nonetheless I do not wish to be bored" the Kazekage replied with a tone of arrogance.

Sarutobi not wanting to push the matter any further rose from his chair and addressed the screaming crowd of people below.

"Welcome all of you to the Chunin selection exams which have been held in the Hidden Leaf Village. We understand some of you have made a long journey here and we thank you for your efforts to come" Sarutobi said loudly and nodded towards the Kazekage.

"To the nine candidates before me I wish you luck and we ask that no one leave until all the matches have been completed. Now please enjoy!" the Third said happily and the crowd erupted into cheers.

Taking this as the sign to proceed Genma turned towards the Chunin candidates. "Alright your terrain is a little different but the same rules apply. Fight is until either someone dies or someone gives up. I can step and stop the fight at my digression and I don't want any arguments. Got it?"

All of the finalists remained quiet and Genma drew out a piece of paper with the match listings on it. "Right the first match is between Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyuga. Everyone else who isn't those two moves to the waiting area upstairs"

"You've got this Naruto" Sakura said cheerfully and patted her teammate on the back. Naruto grinned in reply and engulfed his female teammate in a tight hug.

"I won't lose Sakura-chan! Believe it!" he exclaimed and squeezed her tightly. Sasuke's eyes narrowed and coughed discreetly causing Naruto to let go of Sakura.

"Hn dobe don't lose to Hyuga. I still want to fight you" Sasuke said monotone.

"This guy is just a warm up our fight is the real thing!" Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke smirked.

Naruto took his place opposite Neji as Sakura and Sasuke climbed the stairs up to the waiting area for the candidates. They stood away from the other candidates but Sakura could feel Gaara's stare following her as soon as they left the stadium.

Sasuke felt her discomfort and turned around to glare at Gaara who stared at the Uchiha prodigy before breaking the eye contact and casting his bored expression over the battle ground.

"He tried to kill Lee last night in the hospital with his sand jutsu. If Naruto, Shikamaru and I hadn't arrived when we did I know he would have done it" Sakura muttered quietly to Sasuke.

"He's one sick psycho. I'd hate to be you Uchiha having to go up against him" Shikamaru said coming up to stand beside Sakura.

"Hn Nara" Sasuke grunted acknowledging the lazy genius.

"Sakura's right you know you should watch yourself out there. That guy Gaara kills for fun, he told us as much himself. Why are freaks like him even allowed in this exam?" Shikamaru continued.

Sakura had to stop herself from nodding in agreement but Sasuke gave a noncommittal shrug. "I'm not going to lose to him so don't worry yourself"

Shikamaru yawned and stretched his arms lazily above his head. "Well in any case this whole finals thing is a complete drag. All the hype over nothing and I'd rather be sleeping"

"Well the hype must be attributed to something. Why else would the ANBU Black Ops be here?" Sakura asked the two boys.

"ANBU Black Ops?" Sasuke asked and Sakura pointed discreetly to the black hooded figures with animal masks among the spectators. They were just visible to the naked eye from the finalist's area.

"Those guys have been there since these exams started. Look the fight's about to begin" Shikamaru said in a bored tone and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Naruto's fight against Neji began with a series of frontal attacks on his part each of which Neji dodged easily thanks to the use of his Byakugan. It soon became apparent to spectators and participants alike that Naruto had no hope of getting a hit on Neji in a close range. Neji soon achieved the upper hand and using his skill for spotting chakra points he was able to almost hit Naruto's shoulder but he missed.

The blond boy seemed to understand that he needed to distance his attacks as Neji could stop his chakra flow completely rendering him useless. Naruto performed the Shadow Clone jutsu and by evenly distributing his chakra, confused Neji's Byakugan by not making obvious which of the Naruto's was real. The shadow clones charged forward and distracted Neji with their multiple attacks and it looked as though Naruto would finally be able to gain the upper hand. But Neji dodged the kick and then destroyed all of the clones.

Naruto attempted the jutsu again except this time created a huge amount of clones. Sakura and Sasuke exchanged impressed glances, clearly Naruto had done what Kakashi had instructed and worked on the fundamentals. He now seemed to have a much greater handle over his chakra control. But Neji systematically destroyed the vast number of clones without breaking a sweat. The Hyuga boy then attacked what he assumed to be the real Naruto but it had been a clone. The real Naruto and one of the shadow clones come from behind to attack but Neji fended them off with his rotational defensive 8 Trigrams Palm Jutsu.

Neji then used his 64 Trigrams Palm Jutsu on Naruto hitting and effectively halting all 64 of his chakra points. Naruto fell to the ground again and Sakura had her doubts as to whether he could continue, after all a lack of chakra meant he was down to taijutsu which involved hand to hand combat and getting closer to Neji was not a good plan.

It was there that Naruto recalled his training with Jiraiya and knew it was now that he could call on the chakra of the 9 Tailed Fox. All the spectators and finalists watched in shock as Naruto was able to draw out the Fox's chakra. Huge swirls of orange surrounded his body before the blond ninja was completely engulfed in orange chakra.

Naruto charged straight for Neji tearing through the ground under his feet with the strength of the chakra he now possessed. Neji activated his palm rotation jutsu again and both ninja collided and a huge explosion followed. The dust began to settle and Sakura peered out onto the battle ground anxiously searching for a crop of spiky blond hair.

Neji pulled himself up from inside one of the two craters left in the earth from the explosion. Kakashi sighed from his position in the stadium and Sakura looked disappointed. Immediately the stadium erupted into whispers and murmurs which grew louder. Genma rolled the senbon around in his mouth before stepping forward to call the match. That was until Naruto broke through from beneath the earth to land an upper cut to Neji's jaw. That sent the Hyuga boy sprawling onto the ground and unable to move.

"The winner of this match is Naruto Uzumaki" Genma announced, impressed with what Naruto was capable of.

"Way to go Naruto!" Sakura yelled loudly as the stadium erupted into cheers.

_In just a month he gained all that power and strength, and he still acts like an idiot with all that energy afterward. He'll be an interesting fight_, Sasuke thought and smirked.

"HECK YEAH I DID IT!" Naruto announced and grinned before tearing around the stadium lapping up all the cheers and applause.

_Maybe not the most humble way to go about a victory but then again those villagers have never clapped in support and appreciation of him before_, Sakura thought happy for her teammate.

Naruto ran up to the finalist area and almost knocked Sakura over in his excitement. "Sakura! Teme! Did you guys see that! I totally blew him out of the water! You're going to have to bring your best if you want to beat me Sasuke!"

"Dobe watch where you're going" Sasuke said angrily.

"It's alright I'm fine Sasuke. Congratulations Naruto, you've really worked hard this past month and it shows" Sakura smiled at her teammate.

"See Teme that's the response to give to someone who just won a tough match like that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Alright you won we get it. No need to rub it in our faces" Shikamaru interjected.

"Shikamaru you're so lazy I'm surprised you even made it to the exams" Naruto retorted.

"You're such a drag kid it's a wonder anyone can stand you" Shikamaru replied icily.

Naruto made to lunge at Shikamaru but Sakura caught him by the scruff of his neck. "Alright Naruto I've been patient enough with you but you're really starting to push it. Lay off Shikamaru already and watch the rest of the competition" Sakura hissed in his ear, fist cocked.

"Isn't your match up now?" Shikamaru asked turning to Sasuke.

"No it's at the end as a consequence for my need for a time extension" Sasuke replied evenly.

"That means according to the roster Kankuro and you are next to fight Shikamaru" Sakura stated peering at the sheet of paper tacked up on the wall.

"I know I know don't remind me" Shikamaru huffed and gazed at the clouds in the sky.

"Hey Sakura that also means your match against that fan lady is coming up soon!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah it is" Sakura said quietly already thinking about her match.

The crowd began to grow restless and began to yell out for the start of the next match. A few began to shout out Sasuke's name clearly impatient to see the match between the Uchiha boy and Gaara. Genma sighed but moved to announce the next match.

"Next to fight are Kankuro and Shikamaru Nara" Genma announced and the crowd groaned.

"Well that's just great" Shikamaru complained at the thought of having to fight.

"They really want to see you fight huh Teme?" Naruto asked in a slightly jealous tone, his moment of glory forgotten by the spectators.

"All of the great lords and skilled shinobi are here to see Sasuke's match. At least that's what I heard around the hospital. They want to see what the last of the Uchiha clan has to offer, especially the Kazekage" Sakura added.

"Tch it's annoying" Sasuke replied not in favour of all the attention.

Kankuro stared out at the stadium, with the change in plans there was no longer a need for him to fight and an even greater need for him to keep his skills with the crow until they were needed.

"Proctor I withdraw from the fight. You can announce the next match" Kankuro said raising his hand.

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto looked towards the sand ninja in shock. Why after going through the entire first and second exam would he withdraw from the final rounds? He hadn't been admitted to hospital and seemed now to suffer no dire injuries. So why withdraw? Shikamaru seemed just as shocked but remained silent.

"Fine, since his opponent has withdrawn Shikamaru Nara wins by default" Genma announced and the crowd erupted into angry yells.

"A win is a win I guess. Still I wonder why he withdrew" Shikamaru spoke up hands resting behind his head.

"You should be disappointed you lazy idiot!" Naruto said angrily to Shikamaru

"Take it down a notch kid; his withdrawal is good for all of us. Less people to fight in the coming rounds and a chance for me to take a nap" Shikamaru replied and Naruto had to bite back an angry retort.

"It is interesting Lord Kazekage that the genin from your village Kankuro should withdraw from the final rounds. I witnessed his battle during the preliminaries and he is quite skilled" Lord Hokage asked a tone of suspicion present in his voice.

"I do not know. What the boy chooses to do is up to him entirely but I do not doubt he had a good reason for withdrawing. Nonetheless I do believe we are finally getting closer to the match everyone wishes to see. I believe we should proceed" Lord Kazekage replied.

"As you wish" Sarutobi replied and nodded to Genma to continue on.

"Alright listen up the next fight is about to begin" Genma began and Temari withdrew her fan, using a gush of wind she propelled herself down to the battle ground upon it.

"My turn right?" Temari asked placing the fan behind her back.

"Eager aren't we? Alright the next match will be between Temari and Sakura Haruno" Genma announced.

_It's my turn at last I guess time to see if I've got what it takes to be a Chunin_, Sakura thought and clenched her fist in determination.

"Good luck Sakura! You can beat her!" Naruto decided happily.

Sasuke felt himself involuntarily stiffen when Sakura's name was called. Sakura had been working at the hospital Sasuke knew that much. But she had said all of her training was being done herself. Sasuke had Kakashi and Naruto had Ebisu but Sakura hadn't mentioned anyone who had helped her train for the finals.

"Hn. Watch yourself out there and don't lose" Sasuke forced out and tried to hide the concern he felt for her safety.

"Right got it. I want to be a Chunin as much as the two of you so there's no way I'm going to lose" Sakura replied and jumped from the finalists area to the battle ground smoothly.

Sasuke's eyebrows drew together and he subconsciously bit his lip. Naruto watched his teammate with a mixture of surprise and confusion. Sasuke appeared to be worried and Naruto was confused, the Uchiha boy was confident in all aspects of his ninja life and training. Worry wasn't an expression normally present on his face, following his gaze Naruto found Sasuke's eyes were trained on Sakura's back which displayed the Haruno crest fiercely. The crowd cheered loudly for her as a representative of the Leaf Village.

_He's concerned about Sakura. I've never seen him looked as worried as he does now_, Naruto thought and placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"She'll be fine you know. Sakura-chan's a lot stronger now, you didn't see her preliminary fight and who knows what she's learnt since then. Have a little faith in her teme I think Sakura could even beat us" Naruto said in a serious tone.

"Hn beat you, you mean. But thanks dobe" Sasuke replied but his eyes never left his female teammate.

"I've been looking forward to this match for a while. You seem like a worthy opponent at last" Temari said and unfurled her fan from her back.

"Thanks I could say the same about you. Let's get this thing started then" Sakura replied and pulled on her black gloves.

"Alright when you're ready you can begin" Genma said and stepped back.

"I guess I'll go first not that you'll mind" Temari quipped and charged forward with her fan, using the metal portion of it Temari flung it at Sakura who dodged it immediately.

Falling back Temari then opened the fan fully and created a huge torrent of wind straight for Sakura who once again dodged it effortlessly. Sakura was grateful now for all those objects Tsunade had thrown at her to increase her speed. It was working, she could get out of the way of those gusts of wind quickly.

"Sakura-chan is fast!" Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke nodded. Sakura's increase in speed was certainly noticeable.

"Running around like a frightened little animal isn't going to help you win. You can't dodge and hide forever" Temari declared and readied her fan for another attack.

_She's right I have to focus and figure this out. Remember what Tsunade said I need to take her fan out of the equation. Either I destroy it or throw it so far across this stadium she can't get at it_, Sakura thought determinedly.

"I guess you're just going to run then. Well you might as well have something to run from right? Ninja Art: Wind Release Jutsu!" Temari taunted and used her fan to create a huge wind gust. Sakura dove behind a tree for cover.

This wind gust was different it left visible scratch marks in the tree and if she wasn't careful that could be her. Getting to her feet still covered by the trunk of the tree Sakura decided there was only one plausible cause of action.

"Come on Sakura attack her!" Naruto yelled from up on the balcony and Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Quiet can't you see she's trying to figure out what to do" Shikamaru lectured Naruto.

_Her forte is long range attacks as well. That's evidenced by that fan she needs a long distance to propel all that air. So she works better that way huh? Well my chakra infused taijutsu is more of a close range style. I guess we could try and change her mind_, Sakura thought and smirked.

"**Hell yeah let's hit her where it hurts! From the ground up!" **Inner Sakura cheered. Stepping out from behind the tree Sakura tightened the black glove on her right fist and began channelling her chakra.

"Ready to give up yet? I'd just admit defeat if I were you. I mean you're already running scared" Temari teased.

"Not so much but I'll reward you for your patience. I've been working on this move and it's finally going to do me some good. Take this! CHA!" Sakura yelled and threw her right hand to the floor.

The entire earth floor of the stadium shook and eventually. Chunks of rock and earth broke apart leaving the stadium floor a shattered mess and a completely broken terrain. Finally all the training had paid off, her earth style chakra punches went from becoming tiny cracks in the ground to what lay before her. Sakura smiled, there was not an inch of the floor that had not been affected. The technique had reach and damaging consequences.

"WAY TO GO SAKURA THAT WAS AMAZING!" Naruto cheered.

"Wow who knew she could do that?" Shikamaru wondered aloud, completely impressed.

"It looks like she's got a few tricks up her sleeve. Things we didn't see in the preliminaries" Shino added.

_That technique. The first time she used it was during the bell test and the best Sakura got out of it was a tiny crack in the earth. Now she's completely levelled an entire stadium floor_, Sasuke thought in surprise at Sakura's mastery of chakra control.

The crowd cheered loudly and began to talk to each other excitedly. It was almost comical, the tiny petite little pink haired girl who managed to rip great chunks into the earth with her fist. But Sakura had little time to celebrate her success. She had to act fast to make the most of the purpose of her using the earth shattering technique.

Temari had been shocked by the eruption of the floor and the attack had taken her off guard. Unable to manoeuvre herself out of the way in time she fell off balance. Seeing this Sakura charged forward aided by her newly acquired speed and gave Temari a direct chakra infused punch to the cheek.

The crowd gasped collectively as the punch connected and the fan wielding ninja was sent flying backwards into the shattered ground. Kankuro gripped the railing in front of him tightly, he was concerned for his sister but knew she would make the right call. All three of them needed to be ready for what was coming. Gaara's face remained expressionless but his eyes watched the battle closely.

Sakura jumped back a little and prepared herself as Temari got to her feet. Having just performed the earth shatter jutsu the punch Sakura had delivered to Temari didn't pack as much force. But the female Sand ninja's lip bled profusely and the makings of a bruise had begun to form. Temari moved for her fan but Sakura didn't try to stop her, she knew what was coming and focused all of her energy into getting the chakra balance in her feet just right.

Temari opened her fan angrily and swept a huge vortex of wind straight for Sakura. The air whipped around her and began to cut into her skin but Sakura didn't move from her position despite the stinging. Using the same chakra technique she had used to climb the trees with Team 7, Sakura was able to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground and not get blown away from Temari's wind assault.

Seeing her opening Sakura began to run head on into the wind, using the chakra in her feet as a grip to the shattered ground. Before Temari could even close the fan and then open it again to defend herself Sakura had used her developed speed and chakra control to hit her again. Except this time the pink haired teen took a hold of the fan and threw it behind her where it hit the wall.

"She got close enough to Temari to hit her again and now that Sakura girl has gotten rid of the fan. This is not looking good" Kankuro worried.

"My fan! What have you done with it!?" Temari demanded completely outraged.

"It's behind me but of course you'll have to fight me to get it. Close range combat isn't your forte is it? Well that's a shame because it just so happens to be mine" Sakura declared dropping back into a fighting stance and Inner cheered.

_Sakura's improved so much it's like I'm not even looking at the same person anymore! When did she get this strong?_ Naruto thought in shock.

"Sakura's stronger yeah but she's also got the brains behind the strength. Taking Temari's fan away was a good move. She knows how to think and strategize which makes for a good Shoji partner" Shikamaru said and yawned again.

_This isn't what the goal is here at all. If Temari gets injured or worse than it could jeopardise the whole plan_, Kankuro thought.

Sakura and Temari began to fight in close combat with Sakura clearly coming out as the superior fighter. Her training with Tsunade over the month had focused on taijutsu which meant she could anticipate moves and give them back as well. Temari wasn't completely useless either and their spar continued for some time.

At one point Temari managed to escape the close combat situation and made a desperate dash across the field towards her fan. Sakura was taken aback by the unexpected move and quickly reached into her ninja pouch for her kunai. But Temari was one step ahead and deflected the kunai Sakura had sent in an attempt to stop her. Reaching her fan Temari sent a huge vortex of wind straight for Sakura who was caught off guard.

The female Leaf ninja was sent hurtling into the wall of the stadium, her body hitting the cement with a sickening crunch. Sasuke had both hands on the railing, something was compelling him to leap over it and to step in. Naruto felt a similar way, it was in both of their natures to want to protect their teammate.

"Sakura's been doing so well there's no way she's going to give in and lose now" Naruto declared trying to reassure himself and Sasuke.

"Hn you're probably right dobe. She is stubborn" the Uchiha boy added recalling the heated arguments between himself and Sakura during the Land of Waves mission.

_Crap she took me completely off guard and what's worse is that she has the fan back in her possession, _Sakura thought and stood up even though her bones protested painfully.

"That was quite impressive throwing my fan away. But I can promise you that this fight is over right now" Temari declared angrily.

"Really now? I wouldn't count on that" Sakura said and ran straight for Temari again.

"This again! There's no way you're getting through!" Temari exclaimed and sent a torrent of wind towards Sakura again. There was a loud poof and Sakura turned into a log.

_Substitution huh? That was a good move Sakura_, Sasuke thought and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"A substitution jutsu! How could I fall for such a basic technique! But that means!" Temari started and whipped around just in time to take a chakra infused kick to the stomach.

Temari hit the ground again but slowly stood up again and Sakura had to give credit where it was due at least this girl wasn't a quitter. But Sakura's reserves were slowly dwindling and with the other rounds she would have to fight it was best to end this one now. Reaching into her kunai pouch Sakura pulled out the senbon laced with poison that Shizune had given her for the finals. To anyone else they appeared to be ordinary senbon, Sakura knew Temari was quick on her feet and definitely not beaten yet.

The poison senbon were an option but if that failed Sakura would have to resort to the jutsu she had worked on with Tsunade. The one she would practice at home alone in secret. She didn't like the idea of revealing it too early into the matches but it seemed Sakura would need to keep her options open. But none of this mattered when Temari looked at Kankuro before raising her hand.

"I wish to withdraw" Temari announced in a clear voice.

The crowd reacted angrily and began to hurl insults at Temari, through the course of the fight a lot of people had become very interested in Sakura and her abilities. Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other and knew Sakura would be disappointed with the outcome.

"What?" Sakura asked completely shocked.

"I do not wish to fight anymore so I withdraw" Temari explained as if Sakura were an idiot.

"I know the definition of withdraw I want to know why. You have a chance to beat me as I have a chance to beat you. Furthermore you don't seem to be vastly injured and from a check on your vitals you still have chakra to spare" Sakura demanded getting more worked up.

"What's the problem kid you won. We'll have another chance to fight sooner or later" Temari said and walked past Sakura to collect her fan before returning to the finalist area.

"Due to withdrawal the winner of this round is Sakura Haruno" Genma announced.

The crowd called out a mixture of cheers and insults, the fight was interesting enough for them but most would have preferred for it to continue. Sakura stood on the stadium floor feeling disillusioned and confused.

_Was I not good enough to continue fighting against? I worked so hard and I would have won. Does it mean that I'm still not strong enough? If I'm still that weak that I can't even get an opponent to bother with me how do I have a hope in the world of going after my parents? I wanted to show everyone what I could do and prove myself a strong opponent at last._

"You fought well Sakura but we need you to return to the finalist area. Someone has to come out here and repair the stadium floor" Genma said in an annoyed tone that indicated the job was up to him. Sakura nodded despondently.

"ALRIGHT SAKURA THAT FIGHT WAS TOTALLY AMAZING!" Naruto yelled as soon as Sakura was within distance. He hugged his teammate happily but Sakura didn't reciprocate and Naruto pulled back.

"Ne Sakura-chan what's wrong?" the blond asked quietly.

"Are you hurt? Do we need to send for a medical ninja?" Sasuke questioned a little overprotectively.

"I am a medical ninja if you haven't noticed" Sakura snapped angrily and stalked over to the balcony where Shikamaru stood healing the cuts on her arm as she went.

But she turned back around feeling extremely guilty and approached her teammates. It wasn't their fault they were only concerned for her welfare.

"I'm sorry that wasn't fair of me. I just… I didn't like the way the match turned out. I shouldn't have won by default and I could have beaten her and showed everyone how far I've come but I didn't because she obviously didn't think I was good enough to continue fighting" Sakura babbled trying her hardest not to breakdown.

"But Sakura-chan you did! You showed everyone and they're all talking about how strong you were! You should have heard them! That Temari girl quit because she was scared!" Naruto exclaimed and Sakura couldn't help but smile.

Naruto hadn't seen that apart from a few bruises here and there Temari was in perfect shape to continue fighting but Sakura appreciated the sentiment.

"Hn the dobe is right. The crowd couldn't stop their idle chattering about you. I… I think you fought well. Your techniques have come a long way" Sasuke said feeling awkward about complimenting Sakura. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Thank you both but I'm still not happy with how it ended" Sakura said and smiled at her two teammates.

"Well you don't have to be remember that this match is supposed to be a series of rounds so you'll probably get another chance to fight" Shikamaru said from where he stood and Team 7 joined him.

"Yeah remember old man Hokage said that the more you fight the better chance you have of becoming a Chunin and you don't even have to win! Just show your skill!" Naruto added brightly.

"I guess you're right then" Sakura said feeling a little better but looked over to where Temari stood and felt annoyed.

"Alright Teme you match is totally up next! You better not lose!" Naruto exclaimed to Sasuke as everyone watched Genma repair the training field using a jutsu.

"With any luck maybe that guy will withdraw too" Shikamaru said watching Gaara.

"Just because you're too lazy to fight doesn't mean everyone is!" Naruto exclaimed angrily.

"I don't think he's withdrawing anytime soon" Sakura said as Gaara disappeared in a cloud of sand before reappearing on the newly repaired training field.

"Looks like you're up then" Shikamaru said and Sasuke nodded smirking.

_Sasuke's been looking forward to this fight he told me as much himself. But with the cursed mark and Orochimaru plus the fact that Gaara possesses a demon within him what kind of a chance does Sasuke even have?_ Sakura thought the feelings about her match almost forgotten and replaced with concern for Sasuke.

"Hn. Dobe you better be ready to fight me" Sasuke said and Naruto grinned.

"Sasuke be careful. This guy Gaara isn't an average opponent so don't let your guard down not even for a second. I don't want to be wasting my chakra healing your broken body" Sakura teased to lighten the mood but her face betrayed her and showed her obvious worry.

Like he had in the hospital Sasuke grabbed her wrist and held it gently. The sudden action made Sakura turn a little red and Naruto and Shikamaru watched with shared expressions of amusement and slight shock. No one had ever seen Sasuke actively reach out to someone before let alone a girl.

"Hn you worry too much. I'll win. Keep the dobe under control I don't want him throwing me off" Sasuke said in a gentle tone Sakura hadn't heard before.

"HEY TEME WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT!?" Naruto bellowed and Shikamaru face palmed.

_Talk about ruining the moment_, Shikamaru thought and muttered something about Naruto being a drag.

Waking up to himself Sasuke snatched his hand away and the tips of his ears were red. But his face and eyes held a softer expression looking at Sakura.

"You can count on me" Sakura said and winked conspiratorially. Sasuke smirked and jumped down onto the battle ground.

"You and the teme both worry about each other too much. He was worried before your match too" Naruto said quietly to Sakura.

"Well we're teammates and friends. That's what you do when you care about the people around you; you worry for their safety and wellbeing. I was worried for your match too Naruto, so was Sasuke even though he'll deny it" Sakura stated and Naruto looked pleased.

_Does she seriously not see the way that Uchiha looks at her? And she thinks they're just teammates and friends. Man relationships are a drag_, Shikamaru thought.

Sakura couldn't help the feeling of dread that grew within her as Sasuke faced off against Gaara. There was more to it than just a simple fight, things weren't fitting together in her head and it had something to do with those three genin from Suna.

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><p>Hi guys!<p>

I think I might make my update day Wednesday of each week now AEST because that seems to be when I end up getting it done :3 So this chapter is special because it's all my own original dialogue apart from Genma's parts and a couple of other bits. I hope to continue like this because I've gotten a few reviews encouraging me to put my own dialogue in so I'll try and do that from now on ^^

As always please review and so on if you've enjoyed the chapter and are enjoying the story! I'll see you all next Wednesday ^^


	29. Finals Part 2

The Turning Point

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><p>Sasuke and Gaara's match was met with cheers of excitement and relief from the crowd. Finally everyone would get the opportunity to finally see the two ninja fight. Sakura watched as Genma informed Sasuke and Gaara of the rules before stepping back and letting the match commence.<p>

Immediately the sand from Gaara's gourd began pouring out and Sasuke recalled what Sakura had told him about the red haired boy's preliminary fight. This was clearly the sand technique he had used to defeat Rock Lee but there was no way Sasuke was going to let himself get beaten by it. Instead of attacking him, Gaara remained motionless clutching at his head and mumbling sentences about feeding something sweet blood and his mother.

Sakura and Naruto exchanged concerned looks. From their encounter with Gaara in the hospital they knew that he was hell bent on killing Sasuke and the mental distress he seemed to go through when he tugged on his hair wasn't helping ease their fears. Sasuke wasn't going to waste any time and immediately threw two ninja stars straight for his opponent. A clone of Gaara made of sand quickly blocked the attack; it seemed that Gaara had turned his sand shield jutsu into a sand clone jutsu. But it worked to the same affect and shielded the real Gaara.

Sasuke needed to destroy the clone and Sakura watched as he ran forward and struggled using a series of martial arts moves. Eventually the clone was destroyed and the Uchiha prodigy ran forward seeing that Gaara was now open for an attack. But once again the sand acted as a defence and the crowd groaned as it seemed Sasuke would be unable to get through again. But Sasuke disappeared and reappeared behind Gaara as Lee had done in the preliminary rounds. Landing a skilfully placed punch Sasuke knocked the Sand genin backwards causing his face to crack.

His speed was easily that of Rock Lee's normal speed and Sakura marvelled at it. Sasuke was clearly using his Sharingan to mimic Lee's speed but the downside to that meant it required a lot of stamina to keep it up. Sasuke ran forward again to kick Gaara whilst avoiding the sand, then just as Lee had done in the preliminaries he used his incredible speed to run in a circle around Gaara which confused him. Ducking under the sand he landed a series of powerful taijutsu style moves and Gaara stumbled back.

It looked as though Sasuke had the upper hand and Naruto grinned, this Gaara guy looked like he was all talk and no action. Gaara got to his feet and Sasuke waited to see what he would do next, immediately Gaara placed his hands in a jutsu summoning position. The sand began rising up around him and began forming a sphere which encased Gaara. Not wanting to let the Sand ninja make the first move, Sasuke punched the sphere but the sand shot out in spikes, protecting the user of the jutsu inside. The Uchiha boy jumped back sustaining a small cut to the cheek but his right hand and left leg bled heavily.

Gaara activated the Third Eye which sat above the sand sphere and watched Sasuke who knew exactly what he had to do. He didn't expect to be revealing the jutsu that Kakashi had taught him so early but he needed to break the sphere open and get to Gaara. Direct chakra to the bottom of his feet Sasuke raced up the wall of the stadium and stayed perched up there. Sakura squinted trying to see what he was doing. Sasuke did a quick series of hand signs and placed his left hand over his right hand and held both between his legs.

A huge blue light began to radiate from Sasuke's right hand as the sound of thousands of birds chirping filled the arena. Sasuke whipped his right hand behind him causing the cement of the wall to rip apart. He ran back down the stadium wall and headed straight for the sand sphere hoping to break through Gaara's defence.

_Amazing Sasuke's using his chakra control to focus it all in his right hand. Like my chakra punches but it seems to be a lot stronger. What else did Kakashi-sensei teach him?_ Sakura thought a little enviously

_Good he's managed to pull of the Chidori so far without any mistakes_, Kakashi mused from his position in the stands of the stadium. He caught the eye of Gai and Lee who had made the journey out of hospital to watch the final rounds. Gai regarded him suspiciously but Kakashi simply smiled and waved.

Naruto too marvelled at the technique and immediately felt inadequate. He had wanted to fight Sasuke to test out his new strength but now he feared Sasuke was a lot stronger than him. Clearly being an Uchiha was a big deal, in just a month Sasuke had picked up this powerful technique.

Sasuke's Chidori managed to break a hole through the sand sphere and hit Gaara on the left shoulder. Blood began to drip onto Gaara's hands from the wound and he stared at in astonishment. The pain was overwhelming and he'd never bled before. Sasuke tugged on his arm to withdraw it from where it was resting on Gaara's shoulder but he couldn't remove it. Activating the Chidori Sasuke tried again and Gaara let out an inhuman scream as the Chidori activated on his fresh wound.

The Uchiha boy's eyes widened in shock as he was pushed back from the sphere by a huge monster arm which thrashed about in the air before retreating back into the sand ball, what in the hell was that? Sakura, Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged horrified glances, was that the demon Gaara had been talking about in the hospital?

The pink haired ninja looked across to where Temari and Kankuro stood; both looked as shock and terrified whispering to each other. Sakura heard the word plan being thrown around and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. The sand sphere began to disintegrate and revealed Gaara clutching his bleeding shoulder in pain. He mumbled and hissed to himself but fell on his knees.

"Hey what the heck is that stuff?" Naruto asked loudly and pointed towards the stands where what seemed like a cloud of white feathers was gathering.

The feather began falling faster and in greater numbers covering the stands where the crowd sat in the stadium. Sakura watched as one by one the crowd began to fall asleep and her eyes widened as the feathers began to seep into the finalist area.

"Release" Sakura muttered as she dissipated the feathers around her, Naruto, and Shikamaru who seemed annoyed at the fact that everyone got to nap but him.

"What was that stuff? And what's going on everyone's asleep!?" Naruto asked.

"That was a genjutsu and something isn't right here" Sakura replied glancing at Temari and Kankuro who had released the genjutsu as well.

"Man I could have done with that nap" Shikamaru complained but shut his mouth when he saw the dirty look Sakura gave him.

Meanwhile on the stadium floor Sasuke was breathing heavily and his eyes remained fixed on Gaara. Whatever was in that sphere wasn't human and had almost broken out of there.

_Just what the hell is this guy?_ Sasuke thought and found it strange that the crowd had gone completely silent. Looking up to the stands he noticed everyone was asleep and frantically tried to locate Sakura and Naruto.

Seeing his teammates were safe and awake he turned his attention back to his opponent. Was this part of his battle strategy? Put everyone to sleep so he could kill him?

Suddenly Temari and Kankuro appeared beside Gaara and quickly examined him. "He's low on chakra and his wound is worse than I thought!" Temari exclaimed.

Naruto and Sakura appeared beside Sasuke and faced off against the three genin from the Sand. "What's going on here?" Sasuke demanded getting to his feet with the assistance of Sakura.

"I must kill him!" Gaara rasped and made to stand up again but couldn't. A huge explosion came from the Hokage area and smoke began to billow out in thick waves.

_Is this what Tsunade felt was coming? An attack on the Leaf Village_, Sakura thought and she eyed the sand ninja suspiciously. This had something to do with them.

"What are you three still doing here? The operation is in motion and Gaara is crucial" Baki the squad leader of the Sand siblings asked, appearing in front of his students.

"Gaara's hurt! He has little chakra and the transformation was only just stopped" Kankuro spoke up.

"That little fool he'll ruin us all. Take him away and bandage his wounds, let him rest until his strength returns and then get him into position!" Baki hissed angrily.

"So who is the leader of this little operation then? Orochimaru?" Genma asked stepping in front of Team 7.

Sasuke and Sakura froze at the mention of the name but Baki simply smiled "I'm not at liberty to say." He turned to his squad who still hadn't moved "What are you three doing? Get going! I'll handle these ninja!"

Immediately Temari and Kankuro held onto Gaara and disappeared over the stadium wall. Genma turned to the members of Team 7 and Sakura immediately knew what he would ask them to do.

"Sorry Sasuke looks like your Chunin experience ends here. But all three of you are official at Chunin level and what's more you're Leaf Village shinobi so you know what you have to do" Genma instructed staring at Baki.

"You want us to go after Gaara right? The match continues?" Sasuke asked deadpanned.

"Yeah something like that but be careful and keep your wits about you. Now go" Genma said and Sasuke lept into action before Sakura or Naruto could even react.

He was gone in the blink of an eye jumping over the stadium wall the same way the Sand siblings had just done. "That's so like the Teme to leave without us! Let's go Sakura-chan!" Naruto said and Sakura nodded.

"Sakura! Naruto! Don't go after Sasuke just yet, I have something that can help you. Bring Shikamaru with you" Kakashi called out and the remaining members of Team 7 looked up into the stands to see their sensei and Gai fighting off Sound Ninja.

_We should have left when Sasuke did. Now we have no idea where he's gone_, Sakura thought as she signalled to Shikamaru and all three joined Kakashi and Gai in the stands.

From their position they could now see the Hokage area where the Kazekage appeared to be holding the Third Hokage hostage. Surrounding them seemed to be a huge barrier and from the four ninja holding it in place that it was some kind of jutsu.

The sound of metal scraping on metal filled their ears as Kakashi took down another an opponent. Gai seemed in his element as he cheerfully threw two ninja into a wall. Some other Jounin Sakura didn't recognise joined in on the attack and one performed a fireball jutsu the same as Sasuke's. Once Kakashi was satisfied the numbers had been trimmed he turned to the three genin who looked ready to fight.

"Well done Sakura on releasing that genjutsu. I knew that teaching you that for the genin survival exams would come in handy. I have a mission for you all now, it's an A ranked mission so you need to be careful" Kakashi said and almost received a sharp blow to the throat from an enemy ninja when Gai stepped in and stopped the attack.

"You're slow Kakashi! I've taken down at least 80 ninja while you've been standing their talking!" Gai exclaimed and shot his long term rival a dazzling smile. Kakashi simply shrugged and Gai fumed heading back into battle.

"Kakashi-sensei I believe we need to go after Sasuke and help him. That boy Gaara isn't a normal opponent and I don't think we'd be much help battling here with you and the other Jounin. I heard them saying they were planning something with Gaara" Sakura stated her case clearly.

"Yeah Sakura's right sensei! Why does the teme get to have all the fun!?" Naruto demanded not quite on the mark and Shikamaru yawned.

"Sakura I fully intend to send you after Sasuke that is your A ranked mission. But to do that you need to track him and I have someone who can help you with that" Kakashi said and caught a deflected kunai in his hand from an enemy ninja.

Slicing his thumb and allowing the blood to seep out from the cut, Kakashi performed a quick series of hand signs before placing his left hand on the back of a sleeping audience member. "Summoning Jutsu!" he called out and with a burst of white smoke a puppy appeared where Kakashi's hand had been.

"Is that a puppy?" Sakura blinked in confusion and Naruto stared at the dog in disbelief. "That thing is supposed to lead us to Sasuke!?" he whined and pointed his finger in the dogs face.

The dog promptly opened its mouth and bit down hard on Naruto's finger causing him to yell out in pain and shake the animal off.

"I am not just a puppy or a thing. My name is Pakkun and I am a ninken" The dog spoke and Naruto glared at him angrily.

"Pakkun is a skilful tracker and will lead you to Sasuke. Now I need to brief you on the mission" Kakashi said as Gai kicked an enemy into the wall behind them before running up and breaking a hole in it.

"Using Pakkun as your guide find Sasuke and prevent him from fighting Gaara. The situation is far too dangerous for any of you to fight and we have no idea what the Sand village has planned. They've already infiltrated the Leaf I'm sure. Once you find Sasuke you're all to move to a safe location and wait further instruction" Kakashi instructed as he aimed a kick at an enemy who got too close.

"Listen I don't really want to get involved in any of this" Shikamaru said stifling a yawn. That genjutsu had given him some time to catch up on some much needed sleep and he wouldn't mind going back under.

Kakashi sighed. "Shikamaru I saw your match you have the makings of a good strategist and this is a time for you to use those skills"

But Shikamaru sat on the ground determined to try and get back to sleep. Sure it would be a drag if Sakura and Naruto got into a mess with Gaara but what was Sasuke to him? It wasn't that Shikamaru was a sadist who wanted to see his fellow candidates suffer; he just didn't want to move. Pakkun decided he'd had enough of the whining child and padded over to where Shikamaru sat.

"Oh jeez not you. I told you I'm not going" Shikamaru said as the dog rubbed against his hand. Pakkun opened his mouth and using his sharp teeth bit down on the lazy boy's hand.

Deciding they'd wasted enough time Sakura grabbed Naruto by the hand and pulled him through the hole in the wall made by Gai. Pakkun followed clamping down harder on Shikamaru's hand as he dragged the genin with him.

* * *

><p>They weaved in and out of the trees carefully as Pakkun would stop momentarily to sniff the ground picking up Sasuke's scent and then lead them off in another part of the forest outside of the village. But Sasuke and the Sand siblings were too far in front and it seemed as though it would be a while before Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru would catch up to them. Sakura shook her head to focus as her mind whirled with a range of scenarios about the outcome of Sasuke fighting Gaara. Not one of the scenarios ended favourably for Sasuke.<p>

_I can't think like that. I have to stay focused and ready. The Sound and Sand have teamed up and their forces have spread throughout Konoha. We could be walking into a trap any second if I let my guard down_. _Wait I sense chakra signals! Two squads, eight ninja no wait nine ninja!_

"We need to hurry! There are two squads behind us plus an additional ninja which makes nine on our tail altogether" Sakura said urgently to her squad.

"Oh man what a drag. I can't believe I got mixed up in this" Shikamaru complained loudly.

"Hey don't make me bite you again" Pakkun said and Shikamaru flinched. Pakkun took the time to look back and regarded Sakura with an impressed look; she sensed the chakra of their enemies as soon as he had smelled them.

"We need to lose them before they find out location" Pakkun said and jumped from the trees onto the ground, the genin followed him cautiously.

"Why are we stopping? We need to get to Sasuke!" Naruto demanded as Pakkun began to walk backwards.

"Shut up and follow me. We're walking back over our footprints and if we do it well then we can make it look like we weren't even here" Pakkun instructed and they were obliged to follow.

Sakura huffed in annoyance it seemed frivolous to waste time covering their tracks but she supposed Pakkun was Kakashi's ninken and probably knew things they as genin did not.

"This is designed to buy us some time and hopefully make them lose our tracks" Pakkun explained answering Sakura's silent question.

But it didn't deter the Sound ninja who continue to pursue them. Sakura suggested an ambush style attack and it seemed to be a plausible form of attack until Pakkun pointed out that the ninja were of Jounin level and it would hinder the original task of stopping Sasuke before he could fight Gaara. It was Shikamaru who then suggested the decoy move, one of them was to stay behind and act as a decoy to hold off the Sound ninja while the others continued with the mission. But it would be a one way trip back there was little chance of a sole genin surviving against nine Jounin especially those connected with Orochimaru.

It was time to decide who would stay back to act as the decoy. Obviously Pakkun was out as he was to lead them to Sasuke so it had to be one of the three genin. Sakura swallowed hard, she didn't want to die but then confronting Gaara was just as much chance of death. Especially if the demon within him had been released. Either way each path contained risk and an outcome of death.

"I'll do it I'll stay behind and hold them off. Shikamaru you're the best with strategy and Naruto you have the strength to confront Gaara" Sakura volunteered quietly.

"Sakura! You don't stand a chance against them alone! I won't let you stay behind!" Naruto said angrily.

"Someone has to Naruto! If we don't it stands in the way of the mission and more to the point we'll all die" Sakura retorted.

_I can't let her stay here I made a vow to protect her. The teme would kill me if I broke it and I couldn't live with myself anyway_, Naruto thought and looked at his teammate anxiously.

"Well I'd made my mind up already but this confirms it. I'll be the one staying behind Sakura" Shikamaru interjected.

"What but I" Sakura began but Shikamaru cut her off.

"I appreciate the offer but it's got to be me. After all my jutsu is design to be a decoy specifically. Besides you two are Uchiha's teammates it's only fitting you should go. Your strength and medical abilities are going to be an asset Sakura, plus Uchiha seems to listen to you so he might actually retreat if you ask him nicely" Shikamaru said sounding serious for once.

"Hurry up they're coming we need to go" Pakkun said pawing a tree anxiously.

"Are you sure you can handle this Shikamaru?" Naruto asked.

"It's going to be a drag but I'm probably one of the only people here who has a good chance of pulling it off and getting out alive. Now go and find Uchiha" Shikamaru said and left in the direction of the Sound ninja.

Pakkun took off running again with Sakura and Naruto following behind him. Pakkun announced that Sasuke had stopped his movement but he was still ahead of them by a great distance. If he had stopped it only meant that Sasuke had caught up to the Sand genin which meant he would be facing off against all three. Sakura pushed off harder from the branch she had just landed on and willed the others to go faster.

Sasuke had managed to catch up to Gaara and his teammates. He stood in front of them preventing them from going any further. He observed that Gaara seemed completely out of it and Kankuro supported his weight. The girl Temari eyed him carefully and made her decision jumping into the air, Sasuke smirked at her attempt to divert his attention.

"Kankuro go! Take Gaara and find somewhere safe and follow sensei's orders. I'll take care of the Uchiha" Temari instructed and Kankuro grimaced at the thought of his teammate taking on Sasuke alone.

"Alright we're going" Kankuro relented.

"Oh no you're not!" Naruto yelled and jumped onto the same tree branch as Sasuke, Sakura and Pakkun following close behind.

"Hn dobe Sakura what are you doing here?" Sasuke asked his eyes fixed on Gaara.

"You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun did you teme? Sorry we're late Kakashi sent us with his ninken" Naruto explained happily.

Kankuro quickly disappeared with Gaara avoiding the kunai Sasuke threw as a reaction. "He's getting away" Sasuke hissed.

"Right you two follow Gaara and Kankuro. Temari and I have unfinished business here" Sakura said and reached for the gloves in her pocket.

Sasuke and Naruto exchanged looks, they didn't want to leave their teammate battling it out alone with Temari but if they didn't move soon Gaara and Kankuro would escape.

"I'll stay with the girl, you two go on ahead" Pakkun decided and Sasuke nodded.

"Be careful Sakura if you think you can't win run. Promise me you'll run from this fight if it gets too much" Sasuke urged and Naruto quickly agreed.

"I can't promise that and I have no intention of losing here. Now go before they get too far from you" Sakura replied sharply.

Sasuke hesitated but he knew from her fight in the finals that Sakura had the means to beat Temari and he didn't want to acknowledge the idea that she might not come out alive. But Sakura was stubborn and would always do what she thought was best for her teammates. Now that the Leaf village was under threat it was time to do what was best for lessening that threat. With a nod of consent Sasuke set off after Gaara, Naruto close behind him.

Temari threw a handful of kunai in their direction but Sakura quickly jumped and deflected the attack.

_Sorry sensei but I don't think any of us have the intention of hiding from this fight_, Sakura thought as she readied herself against Temari. Thankfully due to their fight beforehand Temari didn't have a whole lot of chakra left. Sakura's reserve had come back strong but she didn't know how long it would last, she certainly wasn't at peak capacity.

_I don't want to use the jutsu yet because it uses a lot of chakra and my reserve could suffer. Besides if I'm to go up against Gaara I'll probably need it. Best to handle this like before but the terrain is different. I need to force her onto the ground in the trees she has the vantage point._

"You're persistent I'll give you that but this is much bigger than just our little fight. So get out of my way! Wind Jutsu!" Temari said and sent a huge gust of wind which hit Sakura causing her to fall to the ground.

She quickly took the opportunity to conceal herself behind a tree as Temari sent another gust of wind down from her position up high. But the attack wasn't as effective with the way in which the air travelled. Temari huffed in frustration not knowing how Kankuro and Gaara were fairing against the Uchiha kid and the blond boy. She didn't have a lot of chakra left to play games with Sakura, this needed to end and now.

_Come on, take the bait. You're frustrated and tired right. You want to go after your teammates but you can't and that makes you feel helpless. If you come down here I'll have the advantage and I won't waste it._

Sakura smiled as she heard Temari jump down from the trees and land almost inaudibly on the forest floor. She had one chance to get this right and there was no way she was going to waste it.

"Come on out little girl and let's finish this" Temari taunted and Sakura obliged, directing chakra to her feet she ran out from behind the tree.

Temari reacted instantaneously and sent another wind gust but Sakura simply shielded her face and continued to run as she had before. Temari's eyes widened and she knew she had to get back into the air and obtain back her advantage. Backing up a few steps she felt her back hit the tree behind her and Sakura smirked. Temari was in position and the pink haired girl used her taijutsu speed combined with an extra boost from her chakra reserve.

Pumping a little into her fist Sakura punched Temari into the tree she had backed into. Temari let out a painful groan as her body crumpled against it. Sakura was pleased, she had to have the right amount of chakra to make sure the punch wasn't going to destroy the tree but would effectively injure Temari to allow the second phase of her attack to continue.

She had positioned herself carefully when she took Temari's initial attack. A grove of trees within the forest had grown close together over the years; each entwined and tangled with the other. They were old trees but still carried a hefty weight about them. Sakura knew from her tree splintering practice with Tsunade that these would work well. Because time was of the essence and her chakra reserve getting lower every second, Sakura had only a few moments to detain Temari.

Quickly withdrawing some ninja wire Sakura worked fast to pin Temari to the tree holding the wire in place with a kunai which she pushed hard into the trunk of the tree. Temari hissed and struggled against the wire but Sakura paid her no mind.

She made for huge tree located to the immediate right of Temari, getting behind it she gathered the chakra in her fist and hit the tree hard. It cracked immediately and fell in front of Temari pushing up against her stomach. Sakura performed the same hit on the tree located to the left and it landed next to the other fallen tree creating even more pressure against the Sand ninja.

"What have you done? I can't move!" Temari demanded breathing heavily as the full force of the trees began to crush her sternum.

"I thought it would be obvious but I guess not. You're trapped her and with any luck this is where you'll stay until we're finished. Then you'll answer to Konoha for your treachery" Sakura replied and jumped back up to the tree branches were Pakkun sat licking himself and patiently waiting.

"Nice job girl" he said eyeing her "You know I think that deserved a touch of my paws but I'm sure you'd rather get to your teammates first"

Sakura laughed a little despite herself "I think that's my general goal. But we need to hurry I have a feeling Sasuke and Naruto are going to need all the help they can get"

"You have no idea what he's capable of! Gaara isn't just some normal opponent he's dangerous" Temari warned, her voice strained.

"It's because he's dangerous that we have to go after him. Look what you've inflicted on a village that did nothing but welcome you. Why is the Sand attacking the Leaf?" Sakura demanded.

"I have orders to follow" Temari spat.

"So do I" Sakura replied calmly and immediately departed with Pakkun leading the way to Sasuke and Naruto.

* * *

><p>Sasuke landed on the tree branch his whole body hurt and the curse seal pulsed sending shockwaves of pain throughout him. He knew he shouldn't have activated the curse mark but against something that wasn't human what choice did he have? But the use of the seal plus his Sharingan had drained him completely of chakra. Naruto was now up against Gaara alone and Sasuke was unable to use the Chidori or give his teammate any assistance.<p>

Gaara's demon Shukaku had taken over half his body and was getting stronger every minute. As a consequence Gaara's speed and strength was increased tenfold. Sasuke hated himself for struggling, for not being enough even after all this time. How could he hope to take on Itachi like this? Gaara had said it himself in his deranged state; Sasuke's hate was weaker than his. And with a weak hate fire the rest of him was weak. How would he win then?

He had used the Chidori to rip through the demon claw that had taken over the left side of Gaara's body but that had only excited Gaara's bloodlust for him. Sasuke glanced up from his position on the tree branch to see Naruto had missed an attack leaving Gaara an opening, after promising Shukaku the Uchiha's blood it seemed all Gaara wanted to do was to kill Sasuke and satisfy the demon. Having the demon spout a tail as well as a left claw, Gaara took the opening eager to satisfy the bloodlust within and feel alive once more.

It was at this moment that Sakura and Pakkun arrived having tracked down the two boys. "W-What the hell is that?" Sakura asked as Gaara jumped straight past her.

"The boy Gaara by the smell of it but there's another smell on him. A dangerous one and it's not human. I can smell Naruto not far away he's running back here and Sasuke but he's not moving" Pakkun said.

Sakura's eyes followed Gaara's movements and saw Sasuke lying on the ground. The black flames on his face and arms indicated he'd used the curse seal. Doing a vitals check he seemed relatively unharmed other than the fact that he had no chakra. Sakura felt a chill down her spine; Sasuke had no chakra which meant he couldn't get himself to safety and if she didn't move now Sakura was sure he'd be badly injured.

"**Alright let's give it a shot! Time to use that new technique we've been working on with Tsunade-sama! It's going to be tough but we can't leave Sasuke for dead!" **Inner piped up determinedly giving Sakura the courage she needed.

Jumping out from her position in the trees Sakura gathered the chakra in her fist and punched Gaara on the right side of his face, the side which had not been taken over by the demon. The Sand ninja regarded her with a look of pure hatred and horror as his body collided with a nearby tree trunk throwing him away from Sasuke.

Landing neatly on the branch where the Uchiha boy lay Sakura quickly examined him "Sakura what are you doing here?" Sasuke ground out as another wave of pain rocked his body.

"You used the curse mark. Kakashi told you not to and you've made the seal on it weaker. Why! You promised you wouldn't!" Sakura asked angrily ignoring his question.

"Does it look like I had much choice? You have to get away from here, take Naruto and go. You don't stand a chance against him! This isn't the time to be lecturing me!" Sasuke spat back.

"YOU! You foolish girl you're here to protect him I suppose. And for what purpose?" Gaara asked having stabilised himself again, using his monster like tail to grip onto a tree branch.

"Sakura! Go and get out of here" Sasuke urged again and let out another ear splitting yell as the mark on his neck pulsed again.

"And him! Even as he lies there now suffering at my hands he wants to protect you from me. To save you! Why!?""Gaara demanded completely deranged caught Sakura off guard when he hit her with his demonic arm.

Her body hit the tree trunk and she struggled to get back up. The pain was blinding and she wanted nothing more than to heal herself. But she needed her chakra for that technique.

"Love? Is that why you'd die for him? Because you love him? And does he love you? Is that why he wants you to flee, to run from me because he doesn't want to see you die before his eyes" Gaara yelled and Sakura froze.

"What are you doing!? Leave now while you still can!" Sasuke yelled out again but it fell on deaf ears. Sakura locked eyes with Gaara's demonic form and found she couldn't turn away.

"I thought I knew love once too. But it's all lies and deceit! That you would risk your own life for his and what has he done for you!? The Uchiha clan, last of its kind in the world hell bent on hate and revenge, that of which he desires most and you offer him what? Love? Friendship? WHAT ARE YOU TO HIM!?" Gaara screamed and clutched his head in anguish trying to process Sakura's intentions.

Sakura stared at Gaara in horror, her eyes flicked quickly towards Sasuke who had curled into himself from the pain of the curse seal. There was no choice she needed to use the technique now and then while he was down try and seal off the curse mark even though she had no idea how.

Getting to her feet despite the pain Sakura closed her eyes and focused her chakra. The technique Tsunade had taught her was a continuation of her chakra controlled punches and essential for further development. It was basic but effective building on the skills of the taijutsu training as well. She made sure she had positioned herself in front of Sasuke whose blood Gaara still craved. The balance of chakra had to be perfect but instead of just one fist she directed the flow down the right side of her body to gather in her right fist and leg.

Once she felt the balance settle Sakura opened her eyes and fixed them on her target. Not wanting to wait another minute in case she lost the perfect balance she had created Sakura jumped forward heading straight for Gaara. She had one shot and this was it, her chakra would be almost if not completely gone after this.

_A frontal attack! You idiot Sakura! _Sasuke thought and grew angrier at his own helplessness. Where the hell was Naruto!?

Her right leg cocked she managed to smash her way through the sand arm Gaara had. She knew she only had a few seconds before it grew back even stronger and thrust her leg forward again connecting Gaara with another tree trunk. The force of the impact was so strong that the tree split and Sakura readied her right fist, gaining leverage she chakra punched Gaara from above sending him into the ground.

A few meters before he actually collided with the earth, Sakura jumped down after him. Gathering the chakra she'd put in her right leg she directed the concentration to her right fist. Avoiding the tail made of sand Sakura punched Gaara in the middle of the chest with her fist and drove him into the ground.

Jumping back to avoid the impact Sakura was breathing heavily and felt her strength waning. The dust from the impact settled and she couldn't see Gaara at all. Had she done it? Had she actually beaten him with that technique? Tsunade said it would be good enough for the final rounds but she was sure her teacher didn't anticipate this kind of attack from a person like Gaara.

Sasuke could feel some of his strength returning and managed to pull himself into a sitting position against the tree trunk. He had felt the earth shake and moved his head to see the remains of Sakura's technique but he too could not see Gaara.

_Something doesn't feel right she's still in danger_, Sasuke thought.

"Sakura! Get up here now!" he yelled but he was too late.

"That was impressive, you almost had me there I'll give you that. But while you continue to fight for love and friendship and others you will never know true strength!" a demonic voice yelled from behind her.

Sakura whipped around and felt sheer terror run through her. Gaara was far from defeated he had fully transformed so that not a part of him was human anymore; he was now Shukaku and wasted no time in using his sand tail to throw her against a tree. Sakura heard at least three of the major limbs in her body snap and could feel consciousness fading her.

_I failed once again. It's never enough. I'm never enough._

The last thing she saw before she blacked out completely was the Uchiha emblem in front of her.

* * *

><p>Happy Wednesday!<p>

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! ^^ Thanks for all your wonderful reviews! Thanks to you guys I'm almost at 400 so how exciting is that! Never thought this story would get that far ever!

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See you next Wednesday!


	30. Konoha Invasion

The Turning Point

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><p><strong>Sakura! Get up! Sasuke's curse mark is getting stronger and Naruto is fighting Gaara alone! You've got the strength just open your eyes!<strong>

_But I need to rest my bones are broken and I can't help them now. The exhaustion is overwhelming I need rest_

**You have the chakra to heal yourself now get up and do it. The bones aren't broken their fractured! We have to get Sasuke to Tsunade. She can contact Kakashi, if we don't act soon who knows what that mark Orochimaru gave to him will do. **

Sakura opened her eyes slowly at Inner's urging and saw Sasuke lying a few meters away from her staring upwards. Following his gaze Sakura's eyes widened at the sight of a giant toad covering the tree tops. It surprised her even more when she saw the familiar blond spiky hair of her teammate standing upon the great beast. Sakura looked anxiously around for Gaara and realised that the toad had to have been summoned for a reason. Seeing that the Sand demon Shukaku had fully manifested itself Sakura had her answer.

_Naruto was able to summon that giant toad? The chakra that a summoning requires he must have had to rely on the Nine Tailed Fox_, Sakura thought completely stunned.

"You're awake at last I see" Pakkun said and Sakura turned her head slightly, wincing in the process as she located the small dog sitting to her right.

"Sakura you're awake?" Sasuke asked shooting his head up quickly.

"Yeah I feel like I've been hit with a truck. What happened?" Channelling her chakra Sakura attempted to heal the fractured bone in her arm and green fractures in her leg.

Her chakra wasn't strong enough to fully heal the fracture and Sakura knew she'd need time to heal it properly but at least the painful ache seemed to dull. Sasuke gripped the back of his neck in pain ignoring the look Sakura and Pakkun exchanged.

"Naruto's up against Gaara alone. Hn I have no idea where the dobe learned that summoning jutsu but he's stronger" Sasuke explained with an edge to his voice when he mentioned Naruto's strength.

"We need to leave Sasuke. You need to see Kakashi-sensei about the curse mark because the seal has been broken. We should go to the hospital and from there try and contact him" Sakura stated and moved herself off from the tree trunk painfully.

"I've got it under control Sakura" Sasuke replied firmly.

"Really because you were supposed to control yourself enough not to break the seal Kakashi put on and yet here we are. Not to mention you're almost in the foetal position from the pain it's causing you" Sakura snapped back and Sasuke glared.

"It's none of your business. We have to stay for the dobe" Sasuke said trying to keep his voice even. Sakura looked at him doubtfully, were either of them any use to Naruto now?

"I think Naruto has the situation in hand. From where I'm sitting both of you need to get to the hospital for medical treatment" Pakkun interjected and Sasuke glared at him.

"Look out!" Sakura yelled and all three moved out of the way to dodge a huge ball of water that hit the ground hard spurting water everywhere.

"YAH! CHIEF TOAD I SAID AWAY FROM HERE! MY FRIENDS ARE DOWN THERE!" Naruto bellowed.

"Hey you scruffy dwarf I'm doing the best I can!" The giant toad called back before jumping off in the opposite direction.

_He's stronger than me it's impossible but he is. How can I hope to get revenge on my brother when Naruto is fighting Gaara and I'm almost retching in pain_, Sasuke thought angrily.

"You two should leave now. I'll stay here and watch the Uzumaki boy" Pakkun said.

"Right, let's go" Sakura said and hauled herself upright.

"No I'm not about to run away" Sasuke replied stubbornly.

"We're hardly running away, this fight barely involves us as it is. It makes no sense to stay here and I don't want to leave Naruto any more than you but whether you like it or not that curse mark needs to be attended to. I don't have the knowledge or the chakra to re-seal it" Sakura ranted, annoyed at Sasuke's lack of cooperation.

_I don't want to be seen to be leaving Naruto either. It feels like I'm my weaker self again running away to get help. But it's a logical plan we have no business in this fight now, Naruto's determined and stronger not to mention he has the Nine Tailed Fox within him. This just isn't something Sasuke or I can participate in_.

"What so you're saying it's my fault? Did you see what we were up against? Did it look like I had much choice? You weren't here and Naruto hadn't even realised that guys power so it was all on me and I did what I could" Sasuke snapped at Sakura angrily.

"I wasn't blaming you Sasuke and I know what we're up against but for once stop being so stubborn and listen to reason would you!?" Sakura retorted.

"Whatever if you want to run back to Konoha then be my guest. But I'm not leaving" Sasuke said monotone.

"Honestly you're acting like a spoilt child but I'm not about to get on my knees and beg you to come with me. Pakkun please watch over Naruto carefully, if you feel things are getting out of hand communicate with Kakashi-sensei immediately" Sakura said and left.

"She's right you know. The boy has things well in hand and his determination to protect you and Sakura is strong, I don't see him losing anytime soon. But you need to seal that mark away nothing good can come from its activation" Pakkun said mildly.

"Hn, what would you know dog?" Sasuke asked rubbing his temples in frustration. Sakura always seemed to get under his skin.

"I know that the invasion of Konoha still continues and there are enemy ninja throughout the village. Sakura risks a great deal going alone to get help for you. Or I suspect she will seek medical advice and attempt to seal the mark herself. Despite her healing I bet those broken bones of hers hurt so she's at a disadvantage already" Pakkun said and went to lock eyes with the Uchiha boy but he had already left.

_Damn it Sakura and damn the stupid pact I initiated with the dobe_, Sasuke thought as he left the battle area following Sakura's faint chakra signal which spiked dangerously. She was mad no doubt and Sasuke sighed heavily but increased speed.

_Stubborn kid but he made the right choice just like I thought he would. Now if the Uzumaki kid can beat this Sand demon then maybe I can have a nap_, Pakkun thought as he watched Sasuke's retreating back.

"Stupid freaking Sasuke Uchiha can't he see the damn logic behind any of this. I'm not doing this for myself and you think I want to leave Naruto alone to face off against that guy but Sasuke needs to seal the stupid mark he shouldn't have activated in the first damn place. UGH!" Sakura ranted angrily as she jumped off a tree branch.

Trying to ignore the throbbing in her legs Sakura willed herself to move faster. At this speed and with all the enemy ninja around she was practically a sitting duck. No chakra meant she could only rely on her taijutsu style attacks leaving her vulnerable. It was at this point that she started to question the sanity of her movements, to travel back to Konoha with the invasion still in full scale. Sakura didn't know where to begin looking for Kakashi but if she could just get to Tsunade then perhaps everything would work itself out from there.

"Hn Sakura. You're too slow" Sasuke said appearing over her right shoulder.

"**HIM! SO HE HAD TO SUCK UP HIS PRIDE AND ADMIT HE WAS WRONG. ABOUT TIME!" **Inner thundered.

"Sasuke wasn't expecting to see you" Sakura answered deadpanned having already sensed his chakra before he appeared.

"Don't be annoying. You're right so is the dog. Now hurry up before we get spotted. I haven't got much chakra left and neither have you" Sasuke replied.

"Shut up I'm not annoying and it took a dog for you to listen? God forbid you should listen to your teammate who actually might be right!" Sakura shot back and almost lost her balance on a branch but Sasuke caught her arm.

"Hn I said don't be annoying. I'm here aren't I?" Sasuke said and pinched the bridge of his nose to keep from getting more frustrated. _This woman honestly_, he thought in exasperation.

Fine let's hurry then. I hope Lady Tsunade is still there" Sakura said briskly and Sasuke had a vague inclination he was forgiven.

"Who is this Tsunade woman?" Sasuke asked his protective instincts kicking in as he moved closer to Sakura in case she fell again.

"She's in charge of the hospital. I'm hoping she has the knowledge to seal the curse mark away or at least get in contact with Kakashi. She can heal my fractures and we'll come straight back to Naruto" Sakura explained her plan carefully.

"Hn. And the Sand and Sound ninja?" Sasuke asked seeing the hole in the operation.

"Didn't really plan on getting caught in the first place, the whole idea is to sneak in and out of the village undetected. Don't know how effective that'll be though but if it comes to it I have no problem in giving those jerks who invaded our home a serious beating" Sakura said and smirked at her teammate.

"Right let's get out of this forest" Sasuke replied and picked up the pace with Sakura close behind him. 

* * *

><p>The damage to the village was extensive and widespread; two giant snakes which were clear symbols of Orochimaru had been summoned and were flattening everything in their path. But a man with spiky white hair had conjured at giant toad to battle against the summoned snakes.<p>

"That technique it's the same as Naruto's" Sakura observed, it seemed Ebisu hadn't been training Naruto at all.

"Hn. Ebisu was never that good anyway" Sasuke added as they ran for cover from the debris.

"Don't worry fair village ladies Jiraiya can protect you! Let's go Gamahiro!" Jiraiya called out happily as the civilians ran into shops and houses to avoid the destruction.

"Pervert" Sakura muttered and Sasuke shrugged but motioned for them to sneak around behind the flower shop Ino's parents owned.

_At least that guy is causing some major distraction for the enemy ninja. So maybe we'll be able to sneak through undetected_, Sakura thought.

"Fair maiden!" Jiraiya called out in their direction causing Sasuke and Sakura to freeze. The toad having done its work in demolishing the snakes sat sitting on top of them and Jiraiya on top of it. He had his arm extended pointed to Sakura.

_You've got to be kidding me_, Sasuke thought in annoyance.

"Quite a pretty one too I see. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Jiraiya the Toad Sage!" Jiraiya said jumping down from the toad and introducing himself to Sakura, completely ignoring Sasuke.

"Jiraiya? Aren't you one of the Sanin?" Sakura asked recalling Tsunade mentioning her teammates and fellow Sanin.

"You're a smart one too! Brains and beauty a deadly combination!" Jiraiya gushed happily and Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

Pushing Sakura behind him, Sasuke crossed his arms and glared at Jiraiya who took a couple of steps back.

"Hn back off" Sasuke said withdrawing his kunai.

"My apologies I didn't realise you were spoken for" Jiraiya teased and Sasuke glared viciously.

"I'll speak for myself, you're at least twice my age or more so not interested" Sakura replied coldly and Jiraiya looked disappointed.

"Hmm. I know who you two are. You're the Uchiha kid and you must be Sakura Haruno. Naruto's teammates" Jiraiya said in an all-knowing manner.

"Hn lucky guess, you were the one training him for the Chunin exams" Sasuke decided and lowered his kunai slightly.

"Yes that was me. Speaking of which where is the blond fool?" Jiraiya asked.

"He's fighting Gaara in the forest outside of Konoha. When we left he had summoned a giant toad to fight against the Sand demon inside of Gaara, Shukaku" Sakura explained quickly, keeping her voice hushed and scanning her surroundings for enemy ninja.

"Oh really now? Interesting but shouldn't you two be with him then? Why are you sneaking around the village?" Jiraiya questioned.

"I need medical supplies and then we're going back to him" Sakura lied smoothly and Sasuke gave a curt nod of agreement.

"Medical supplies? Right Naruto babbled on about you being a medical ninja in training. And I suppose the black flames on this one's face have nothing to do with it right?" Jiraiya said and jerked his head towards Sasuke.

"That's none of your business" Sasuke snapped but he hissed as the mark throbbed again.

"Really now? I've seen that curse mark on another before and I'm more than aware of who gave it to you. Don't mistake me for a fool boy" Jiraiya said in a serious tone.

"We need to get it re-sealed our sensei Kakashi Hatake had done it for Sasuke originally" Sakura interjected and Jiraiya nodded.

"Right Kakashi the copycat ninja. Well I suppose you'll want to get to the hospital for those medical supplies and then find your sensei. My work here is done I believe so I'll track down my student. Stay off the main streets if you don't want to be caught in a fight. Who knows I might spot some lovely village women in need of rescue along the way" Jiraiya said perking up a bit and disappeared.

_That pervert is a Sanin?_ Sakura thought dubiously but at least he was going to find Naruto. Sakura could breathe a lot easier knowing her teammate would be helped by one of the three Sanin no matter how creepy he was.

"Let's get to this hospital already. We're sitting ducks out here in the open" Sasuke said sharply and began to move skilfully towards the village centre.

_If that pervert is actually a Sanin who knows what Naruto has learnt. How far ahead of me is he? How much stronger can he get? _

Sasuke's mind buzzed with thoughts of inadequacy and annoyance as he and Sakura managed to work their way quickly into the village centre. A kunai whizzed straight past Sasuke's head and landed a few metres away from where the two genin had been hiding, planning where to run next.

"Hey there they are! Ninja of Konoha!"

The shouts of the Sound and Sand ninja reverberated off the back alley where Sasuke and Sakura were.

Soon enough they were surrounded and Sasuke huffed in annoyance. "I thought you said we weren't going to get caught"

"No I said the plan was not to get caught" Sakura repeated and glared at the male ninja surrounding them.

"You know the orders for the invasion. Kill any Leaf Village civilians or ninja you see" One man said.

Sakura tried to gather the chakra into her fist but she had nothing left from the fight with Gaara, Sasuke was in the same position and the curse mark had just made things all the worse for him. Suddenly the pain was just too much, it whipped through Sasuke like a hot fire and took over every nerve in his body. Sakura quickly moved to his side as Sasuke yelled in pain before losing consciousness completely, the black flames receding from his face.

"No no! Sasuke!" Sakura panicked and shook her teammate a little but to no avail. What could she expect? The curse mark was a chakra sucking leech that left Sasuke with nothing.

_If we had just stayed with Naruto but there was no choice. I had to get Sasuke to Kakashi and now his life and mine are at risk. With no chakra how am I supposed to fight?_ Sakura thought in despair.

"One hundred and thirty two!" A voice cried out loudly and a fist hit three of the Sound ninja hard into the closest wall. Gai immediately jumped in front of Sasuke and Sakura to perform the Leaf Hurricane manoeuvre.

"You're too slow Kakashi! I had to protect your students for you!" Gai announced loudly finishing three more ninja and grinned broadly.

"Actually I think you'll find since we've left the stadium that I have taken down one hundred and forty ninja. You forget the fight in the market place just before" Kakashi said coolly and disposed of the last of the enemy ninja efficiently.

"Sasuke broke the seal on the mark when he was fighting Gaara. I didn't know what to do so I brought him back to the village but I'm worried the journey has made things worse" Sakura explained hurriedly.

Sasuke withered on the ground a little and Sakura's hand flew to his forehead in an attempt to soothe him. It seemed to work but the Uchiha boy's face was still screwed up in pain. Gai looked concerned but turned his back to keep an eye open for more enemy ninja.

"Sakura I know whatever decision you made is the right one. Because you wouldn't have done it if you hadn't thought it would be worth it for Sasuke and Naruto" Kakashi reassured her and crouched down to inspect Sasuke.

_I guess I should have expected him to lose control. After all he was fighting against Gaara but Sasuke can't afford anymore lapses he needs to get this under control. I can't reseal it yet he needs to be conscious. The best thing to do now is to get him to the hospital to rest_, Kakashi thought and picked the Uchiha boy up.

"He needs rest I can't perform the sealing jutsu until he's fully recovered. Gai I'm afraid our little competition is over for the moment. My students come first" Kakashi said.

"Another excuse again huh Kakashi. So typical of you but I think I can make an exception just this once. Go I won't let anyone get past me" Gai said seriously and cracked his knuckles for effect.

"Sakura is Naruto alright?" Kakashi asked.

"He was when I left, Jiraiya the Toad Sage has gone after him. Naruto was fighting Gaara but he's a lot stronger now. Pakkun is with him" Sakura said quickly.

"Right let's go" Kakashi instructed and used his chakra to propel himself forward towards the hospital. Sakura took a deep breath and summoned the strength to follow him.

"I need the most critical cases in the emergency wing of the hospital send all the best doctors down there now! The urgent cases behind those and then the non-critical cases can be treated on the ground here! I want the most skilled nurses and doctors in critical and urgent cases, the rest of you on ground level treating and directing patients where you see fit!" Tsunade barked to her medical staff who lept into action.

In just a few short weeks she had whipped the Konoha hospital into an efficient and well run machine with everything to her specification. When Tsunade had first had the suspicion that the invasion was something to come she had made sure to brief her staff on the correct procedures to deal with a full load of patients in one on going rush. When the first loads of injured shinobi and villagers had begun to crowd the hospital reception and waiting room Tsunade and her staff were prepared and ready.

_Orochimaru what have you done? _Tsunade thought as she tried to remain composed. Looking out across the room full of injured civilians and shinobi some of which included children. Losing her temper would not do at a time like this.

There was no point in having nurses man the reception desk because every spare pair of hands was needed. Tsunade felt proud to see her staff following orders and directing the chaos. She herself would soon head up to the most critical cases and begin the gruelling nonstop healing and medical treatment that would be required.

The doors of the hospital opened again and Tsunade was prepared to see yet another group of injured people but she instead laid eyes on her apprentice and Kakashi Hatake carrying Sasuke Uchiha. Tsunade was immediately concerned for her student but after a quick check of Sakura's vitals knew that her bones had sustained minor fractures that could be efficiently healed and a loss of chakra.

"Sasuke needs to rest Lady Tsunade, he broke the seal I put on the curse mark. I can't reseal it until he's rested" Kakashi said walking over to where the blonde woman stood.

"Have you seen this room Hatake? Full of patients ranging from critical injuries to minor injuries and each one in need of some form of medical attention. This isn't some bed and breakfast where he can just lie down and sleep" Tsunade snapped letting her built up frustration and stress out.

"Please Lady Tsunade he just needs to rest. He fought against Gaara to protect the village" Sakura said and looked at her sensei almost pleadingly.

"Fine in my office there's a room that I use when I'm overworked and tired. It has a bed in it, put him down in there until I can allocate him a room" Tsunade relented and Kakashi immediately headed for the office.

Returning the silver haired man addressed his female student. "I have to leave now Sakura, the village is still under attack. Lord Hokage is fighting against Orochimaru and all the Jounin need to do what they can to help. Take care of Sasuke and help Lady Tsunade as much as you can"

With that Kakashi disappeared in a puff of white smoke and Tsunade turned towards Sakura immediately. "I'll heal those three fractures and give you what chakra I can. But you'll need to take a soldier pill and follow me"

"Follow you?" Sakura asked a little confused, what use would she be to Tsunade with her condition as it was.

The blonde woman bent down and immediately began healing Sakura's fractured legs before reaching for her arm. The sense of chakra flowing into her body made the pink haired teen feel rejuvenated and she was able to think a lot clearer. Tsunade then handed her a solider pill from her pocket which Sakura promptly swallowed.

"We're going into the critical section of the hospital and we're not coming out until we have attempted to save and heal every single person. I read the reports from the other doctors, you're a skilled nurse now and it's time we stepped up your training. Get into your scrubs and let's get going" Tsunade barked.

Sakura nodded attentively and followed her sensei down the corridor past the many injured patients. Pulling on her scrubs Sakura adopted a professional attitude and prepared herself as much as she could for the extensive injuries she would see. Recalling everything she had learnt over the past month Sakura was ready to put it all into practice.

They had spent over forty eight hours at the hospital half of which was spent in surgery receiving one critically injured person after another. The doctors, nurses, Tsunade and Sakura worked around the clock taking breaks only on occasion. By nightfall the invasion had come to a stop and the news quickly spread that the Third Hokage had been killed by Orochimaru who had then called a retreat.

If Tsunade had cried or mourned the loss of her former sensei Sakura didn't see it. The ANBU Black Ops member came to inform her, Tsunade had stood still for a few moments staring off into the distance but the sound of the patients heart monitor jerked her back into action and Tsunade had immediately returned to the surgery. The invasion may have stopped that night but that didn't mean the amounts of injured people did, as they were found throughout the village they were brought in.

Civilians and shinobi alike were tasked with scouring the village for survivors who could be saved. Others were tasked with burying the dead. Sasuke had been taken away by Kakashi to have the mark re-sealed once the invasion had ended. But Sakura had only heard of this from one of the nurses, she hadn't left the hospital the entire two days.

Swallowing soldier pills to keep going and eating food when her breaks were permitted Sakura was exhausted. She couldn't count the number of times she had cried silently on those breaks after they had lost a patient, especially young children.

Naruto had come into the hospital, chakra depleted but alive and Sakura had treated the minor wounds he had incurred. He gave her a brief rundown of the battle with Gaara but Sakura had barely five minutes to spare to talk to him as she was soon called back into surgery.

When they had finally cleared the intensive care unit Sakura was permitted to go home by Tsunade who was proud of her student. As tired and exhausted as she was Sakura didn't complain once and her assistance during the whole time had proved to be invaluable. Tsunade would definitely consider promoting her to head nurse.

Sakura had arrived home to find it standing in one piece which she was thankful for. Barely having the energy to make it to her own bedroom or change out of her soiled training uniform Sakura collapsed on the couch and fell into a dreamless sleep. She would have been content to stay like that for the next three days had it not been for Naruto and Sasuke on her door step clad in black ninja outfits, reminding her of the Third Hokage's funeral.

Sakura quickly showered and changed into a black ninja dress which indicated mourning and joined her teammates as they walked through the streets of Konoha. Huge black rain clouds covered the sky as Team 7 approached the Hokage tower. She wanted to question Sasuke about the curse mark re-sealing and Naruto about his battle with Gaara and his training with Jiraiya but now was not the time.

The rest of the Rookie 9 was there as well as all the Leaf Village shinobi no matter what level. Shikamaru had pulled off the decoy effectively with the help of his sensei Asuma and had arrived back in Konoha safely, Sakura was glad of that.

The funeral was to be held on the rooftop under the Hokage Mountain where the heads of all the Hokage past and present had been carved. Sakura observed Kakashi was nowhere to be found but didn't raise the issue, Tsunade had chosen not to attend either but Sakura saw Shizune standing among the shinobi. They exchanged polite greetings but Shizune appeared to be greatly troubled.

"We are gathered here today to not only honour our Hokage but to honour all those who served our village against the invasion. Dying in the line of duty is one of the most honourable things a shinobi can do" A village elder spoke to start the funeral.

"Hey guys I'm going to stand with Konohamaru alright?" Naruto whispered his eyes on the Hokage's grandson.

"Okay" Sakura whispered back as Naruto moved away quietly to comfort a sobbing Konohamaru.

Sasuke and Sakura stood beside each other silently but their presence seemed to comfort one another. Sasuke was no stranger to death after the Uchiha massacre so he bore the funeral with a sombre attitude. But for Sakura this was the first time someone she had known closely had died, the Third Hokage had been involved with her parents as Shinobi and herself to an extent. She bit back the tears knowing she couldn't show emotion but her body shook as she remembered the Hokage and the reality that her parents were no longer in the village.

Sasuke watched Sakura carefully and knew she was in need of some comfort, the girl looked exhausted and Sasuke knew she hadn't left the hospital since the invasion. Both he and Naruto had a chance to rest but from his knowledge Sakura hadn't. Silently Sasuke extended his arm to take a hold of her hand, a small gesture of comfort. Sakura smiled at him and Sasuke seemed satisfied, they stood like this as the funeral progressed.

It began to rain but just as quickly the rain stopped and the sun reappeared. Kakashi had arrived sometime during the funeral and Team 7 stood together afterwards with Naruto insisting they go out for ramen in honour of the Third. Surprisingly Kakashi and Sasuke agreed to attend with Kakashi even offering to pay.

At the edge of the village two men and black coats with red cloud shapes covering them stood together.

"The village survived I see" One of the men with a fish looking face said.

"So it has they've progressed since I've been back it would seem. The Hokage has died from what I hear" The other replied.

"Is that a tone of sadness Itachi? Don't tell me you still have feelings for your former home?"

"Of course not" 

* * *

><p>Hello everyone!<p>

Sorry I'm late with the update but I had internet connection difficulties again. I hope you liked it even though it was relatively short but I hope I did alright. I'll upload again next Wednesday but review, favourite and follow if you like the story/this chapter!

Also thanks to everyone who's been reviewing! 400 reviews is absolutely incredible! Thank you so much! xxx

See you next Wednesday! :D


	31. Itachi Returns

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>"For her outstanding work over forty eight long hours assisting in healing all injured patients, despite having already participated in the Chunin finals and then in the fight against the Sound and Sand Ninja. I promote Sakura Haruno to the position of Head Nurse" Tsunade announced.<p>

She stooped down a little and pinned a small gold badge in the shape of a syringe to the collar of Sakura's nurses uniform.

"I hope I made the right decision here Sakura. This position comes with a lot of responsibility and you still have much to learn. But congratulations nonetheless" Tsunade muttered and stood upright again.

"I won't let you down Tsunade-sama. I promise" Sakura replied confidently.

"**We're totally getting ahead! This is so freaking cool!"** Inner cheered.

"Alright Sakura-chan! Way to go!" Naruto said standing up and clapping loudly, knocking his chair over in the process.

The other members of the Konoha Hospital staff clapped as well, doctors and nurses alike muttering their approval, Shizune smiled brightly and clapped loudly for Sakura as well. Many of those who Sakura had assisted in healing during the invasion had also attended the hospital when they heard about her promotion ceremony. Kakashi clapped too smiling through his mask and felt very proud of his female student. Sasuke kept his hands deep within his pockets but he caught Sakura's eye and smirked at her from across the room. But a group of nurses remained huddled together, three or four of them and their thoughts and whispers were by no means approving.

Sakura brushed it off she knew there would be some who would not be thrilled with the situation. Even she had doubts when Tsunade had decided that she was being promoted, Sakura knew head nurse had charge of all the other nurses, attended all the surgeries and saw to all the recoveries in the hospital. Balancing that along with her training with Tsunade and Team 7 Sakura wasn't sure if she'd even have anytime to herself. But it was all to get stronger and ultimately to find her parents and bring them home.

_It hurts they're not here to see this, and to have to lie to everyone and say that my mother was sick. That she couldn't make it. How long now until everyone finds out? After the death of the Hokage they'll find someone else to take over and then they'll come looking for answers. _

"Shows over! Back to work all of you we have a lot to clean up and restock now that everyone's treated. Sakura you have the rest of the day off but you'll be here early tomorrow with Shizune so she can show you what you're responsibilities are as the head nurse. I suggest you use the time to prepare and study" Tsunade instructed and the hospital staff dispersed, with a nod towards Sakura her sensei then departed with Shizune following close behind her.

The villagers looked at each other half confused and half scared before leaving the hospital quickly. Clearly the extent of Tsunade's temper had reached even the most out of touch civilians, no one wanted to get her on bad side.

"Congratulations Sakura, it's such a shame your mother couldn't attend. I hope she feels better soon" Kakashi said ruffling her hair.

"Thanks sensei. I'll pass on your thoughts to her" Sakura replied trying her best to be cheerful.

"You have the day off Sakura! What are you going to do?" Naruto asked excitedly bouncing around.

"I don't know Naruto. I guess I should probably go home and see about my mother and then brush up on everything I need for tomorrow like Lady Tsunade said" Sakura sighed feeling the tiredness setting in.

"Aww no you can't just do whatever that big boobed granny tells you! Besides you should take the time and relax!" Naruto exclaimed and Sakura stiffened at the words he used to describe Tsunade, fearing she might here.

"Hn shut up dobe you're so loud even that deaf old man over there can here you" Sasuke said as the deaf man in the wheelchair glared at Naruto.

"Be quiet Teme! Sakura-chan hasn't rested once since the invasion and she needs to go out and have some fun instead of sitting at home and staring at boring medical books!" Naruto whined.

"Naruto it's because of those medical books that I was able to accomplish all this. If you're so keen to go and do something then I'm up for it" Sakura laughed.

"I would Sakura-chan but the Pervy Sage wants to leave the village for the next phase of my training! And I'm totally late I have to get to the village gate now! I'll see you guys in a few days!" Naruto babbled before tearing out of the hospital.

Sasuke looked a little put out and this didn't go unnoticed by Sakura.

"**That idiot! Why did he make such a fuss about doing something if he had to leave!?" **Inner demanded.

"Of course I would love to spend time with you all but I have other things to do. Sasuke there's no training for you today so you're free to do as you please. Why don't the two of you do something together hmm?" Kakashi suggested before disappearing.

"It's fine if you want to train on your own Sasuke I need to study for tomorrow anyway" Sakura began but Sasuke looked at her pointedly.

"Hn. Dobe was right you need a break. I'm hungry" Sasuke said emotionlessly and walked out of the hospital leaving Sakura to follow.

* * *

><p>The central marketplace of Konoha had sustained the least damage during the invasion and the citizens seemed determined to carry on as normal. Everything was open for business and Sakura practically drooled all over the ground as the delicious smells wafted through the air.<p>

How long had it been since she'd had a proper meal? It had to be before the second Chunin exam and her stomach rumbled in agreement.

"I don't mind what we eat. As long as it's not sweet, I don't like sweet foods" Sasuke said bluntly, stuffing his hands further in his pockets. He balled them into fists at the recollection of Naruto running out of the hospital to go and train with his Sanin sensei.

_Has Kakashi decided that training isn't important since the Chunin exams are over? How is Naruto stronger than me? Even now I remember that toad summoning he performed against Gaara. How did he go from no chakra to plenty so quickly?_

"You're thinking about Naruto leaving the village for training right?" Sakura asked midly, scanning for a suitable place to eat.

"Hn" Sasuke replied and chose not to elaborate any further.

"If it makes you feel any better I don't exactly have a line of sensei's knocking down my door to train me. With Naruto's new sensei Jiraiya and Kakashi focusing on you I'd have been swept under the proverbial rug if I didn't choose to take that volunteer position at the hospital" Sakura commented offhandedly.

_It's true, if I hadn't sought out Tsunade to train under I would be completely behind and not advancing at all. It's sad when you think about it like that_, Sakura thought.

Sasuke consider this and felt a little guilty, it was true that Kakashi had been giving him all of his attention and Naruto had that new sensei leaving Sakura dangling. But Sasuke needed to get stronger for a worthwhile purpose, although Sakura was working hard to be a medical ninja Sasuke couldn't help but think their purposes were too different. She wanted to help save lives; he wanted revenge on his brother for taking the lives of his family. His seemed selfish in that respect but it was the only thing Sasuke wanted in this world, apart from the revival of his clan.

Sakura took his silence for acceptance of the situation and felt a little disappointed. But she quickly perked up when she found the perfect place to have lunch, a market stall that sold yakitori and bento boxes. A well-made bento would hopefully remove the hunger pains in her stomach, plus Sasuke could purchase something that was to his liking. Completely forgetting Sasuke's bad mood Sakura grabbed onto his arm and pulled him towards the stall.

"Welcome! Oh it's you, the pink haired girl from the Chunin finals with ground smashing power in her fists!" The old lady who ran the store exclaimed.

"Oh uh right. I'm Sakura Haruno and this is my teammate Sasuke" Sakura replied a little taken aback by the attention.

"Sasuke Uchiha of course you're both very welcome. So lovely to see a nice young couple like you out on a date even after the terrible happenings the last few days"

"Oh we're not on a date" Sakura interjected before things could get out of hand. But the villagers around her in the crowded market place began whispering to each other. Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were out on a date.

"Of course not your secret is safe with me. Now what can I get you two this fine afternoon?" The lady said giving Sakura a wink.

"Hn. One bento and two skewers of yakaitori grilled chicken" Sasuke said and reached into his pocket for some money before giving it to the woman.

Sakura stared at Sasuke incredulously and Sasuke looked back at her blankly. "Don't you want a bento? The dobe mentioned you eating them once before so I assume it's what you'd want" he asked.

"N-No the bento's fine it's exactly what I was going to order anyway. I'm just surprised you remembered" Sakura replied caught off guard.

"It's not a big deal" Sasuke said and collected the change from the lady and taking their ticket moved to wait in the order collection part.

"Right well at least let me give you some money towards lunch, it's not fair you should pay for it all" Sakura replied and quickly dug around in her pockets for her purse.

Sasuke however reached out and stopped her, Sakura gave him a quizzical look and Sasuke frowned at his automatic responses to her. That wasn't normal, he'd become too comfortable around her and clearly comfortable enough to drop some of his guard. Grabbing her arms and hands as if on auto pilot, paying for lunch, remembering a stupid fact about her that Naruto had been babbling about one morning before their training as genin. What exactly was happening to him?

"It's not a big deal" Sasuke huffed again and passed Sakura her bento box and collected his own food.

"If you're sure then. Maybe we should eat down by the river then?" Sakura asked and Sasuke nodded.

The two members of Team 7 made their way down to the river when both suddenly became aware of a high pitched noise. It was the sound of giggling, teenage girl giggling and Sakura looked over her right shoulder to see a group of girls trailing a few metres behind them. But when Sakura caught their eyes the giggles quickly turned to angry whispers and their bright eyes narrowed. Among the group Sakura saw Ami and knew this couldn't be good.

_Sasuke's fan girls huh? Most of them are female ninja from other squads. What are they doing? Out for an innocent stroll is the answer I'll get if I ask_, Sakura thought and shifted a little uncomfortably.

"Hn. Are they bothering you?" Sasuke asked looking visibly annoyed.

"Not really. But you look annoyed so they must be bothering you. Want me to tell them off?" Sakura asked sounding a lot braver than she felt.

Enemy ninja she could handle even Orochimaru she handled okay but hormone drive teenagers from her academy days who used to bully her. Maybe not so much but if worse came to worse she could always chakra punch them back into the centre of the village. With that thought in mind Sakura smiled.

Sasuke shrugged he didn't really understand or know why groups of girls followed him around in their droves. Apparently it was due to his looks he'd heard but Sasuke didn't know or care about that. Maybe he should ask Sakura considering she used to follow him around like that, but she was never part of a group. She would always be solo and somehow not as annoying as they were.

"Consider it a favour for you buying lunch. I'll meet you at the river, you can start your lunch without me" Sakura continued, having already made up her mind to speak with them.

"Don't be too long and don't waste your chakra on them" Sasuke smirked knowing full well what Sakura could be like if people didn't listen to her.

Once Sasuke was out of sight Sakura turned to face quite a large group of angrily looking and disappointed girls.

"Where's Sasuke?" One of the girls demanded angrily.

"We know what people have been saying, you're Sakura Haruno and you and Sasuke are dating!" Another accused jealously.

"He's gone to eat lunch somewhere. Listen ladies I'll say this once and once only. Leave Sasuke alone, stop stalking him and following him around like a bunch of lost puppies. He doesn't like it and frankly it's creepy" Sakura said confidently, deciding to ignore the whole girlfriend comment.

"This is coming from you Billboard Brow? The girl who used to follow Sasuke Uchiha around like a pathetic loser. Oh wait nothing's changed!" Ami taunted stepping forward, the other girls some younger than Sakura looked at Ami with a sense of awe. Clearly she was the leader of the group.

But this wasn't the academy and Sakura wasn't a scared little girl anymore. Ami didn't intimidate her, none of these girls did. She was the student of Tsunade one of the three Sanin and a bunch of teenage girls (some ninja drop outs) weren't going to scare her.

"Yeah I used to follow Sasuke around but I grew out of that. I'm not some immature girl who follows around a boy who'll never show any interest in me. It's a shame you don't seem to have caught on Ami, you're as immature as ever" Sakura retorted coolly.

"Well well looks like the forehead loser has a bit of backbone to her after all. You don't fool me Sakura and you never will. People are talking about how great you were during the Chunin exams but I don't care. You got lucky to be on the same team as Sasuke and you don't deserve your place there. But I've had enough of talking with you, there's a whole group of us and only one of you. I'm feeling good about those odds, how about you girls?" Ami asked and cracked her knuckles.

The other girls laughed and began to surround Sakura who stood her ground. She was most concerned about how to take them all down and not get caught or damage them too much otherwise it would be more work for her in the end at the hospital. That meant using one of her chakra related moves would be out of the question especially the crater punch move she had just learnt, the village was damaged enough.

But all the ways in which to fight Ami and those girls disappeared when Sakura sensed Kakashi's chakra but it didn't have the strong presence it normally would. Something was different, the chakra was weak and tired and that wasn't like Kakashi at all. Deciding she needed to find out what was wrong Sakura performed a quick substitution jutsu leaving a clone of herself that would turn into a log when hit.

"**Seriously we're going to let Ami away with that? No way!" **Inner fumed and Sakura had to agree it seemed pretty pathetic to just do a substitution jutsu and run away.

"Of course she'd run away. Those rumours are clearly false as if Sasuke would date someone like the Forehead" Ami laughed and all the other girls joined in.

However Sakura found it much more amusing when they all fell to the ground, sprawled in the dirt due to the near invisible ninja wire wrapped around each of their ankles. Sakura resisted the urge to collapse into a fit of laughter but then she remembered the reason she'd used the substitution in the first place.

"Hn. I thought you said it'd be quick. You were supposed to eat lunch" Sasuke said appearing next to Sakura who was still trying to restrain her laughter as the girls tried to get up and fell down again.

"Sorry I got preoccupied. But lunch will have to wait anyway. I just sensed Kakashi's chakra; it's weak and tired which is not like him. He might be injured or it could be his Sharingan so I'd like to check it out" Sakura decided.

"Alright. Eat on the way then" Sasuke said and handed Sakura her bento box.

* * *

><p>"He's definitely inside but I sense the presence of three more chakra signals. I guess this is where Kakashi-sensei lives, I wonder why we've never seen this before?" Sakura asked Sasuke as they stood outside their teacher's house.<p>

"Probably because Kakashi likes his privacy, can't say I blame him" Sasuke muttered as they walked inside and up a flight of stairs. Opening the door to where Kakashi's chakra signal was coming from Sakura and Sasuke saw that Kurenai, Asuma and Gai occupied the room.

Kakashi lay on the bed looking tired and worn out, Sakura noticed that next to his bed stood the picture Team 7 had taken when they were first formed. She, Sasuke and Naruto all had a copy as well, but next to that team photo was another one of Kakashi as a younger ninja with a girl and a boy beside him. Sakura guess that must have been Kakashi's genin squad but her eyes widened significantly when she saw Kakashi's sensei looked a great deal like Naruto.

"Why are all you Jounin here? What happened to Kakashi?" Sasuke demanded not noticing the pictures.

"Kakashi-sensei looks completely drained and his chakra is almost gone. He's used the Sharingan as well so his opponent must have been of a high skill level" Sakura added having done a quick observational scan of her sensei.

"Nothing is wrong, Kakashi is just a little worn out from training that's all" Gai said but it was clear to Sakura and Sasuke that he was lying. Suddenly another Jounin burst into the room, someone Sakura had never seen before.

"Is it true then? What they're saying? Itachi Uchiha has returned and he's going after Naruto Uzumaki?" The Jounin blurted out thoughtlessly before his eyes came to rest on Sasuke.

But in a split second the Uchiha boy was gone using his chakra to propel himself out of the window and onto the roof. Sakura immediately followed him using her heightened chakra senses to follow the spike of angry revenge driven chakra he was giving off.

"Sasuke slow down!"

"No! This is my one chance he's finally come out of hiding and is in plain sight. It's my one chance to kill him!" Sasuke yelled back and pumped more chakra into his body.

"We don't even know where Naruto is, all we know is that he left the village with Jiraiya. If Naruto's in trouble I'm coming with you there's no question of that. But we need to know where they are, it saves time and chakra" Sakura spoke calmly finally catching up to her teammate.

Sasuke gave her an angry look but seemed to see the reasoning behind it. "Fine you have five minutes to find out where they are. If you're not back I'm leaving"

Sakura took less than two minutes and quickly returned to the spot on top of a building where Sasuke stood ready to go.

"Headed towards an outpost town just outside the village, let's go" Sakura said leading the way and Sasuke followed quickly behind.

They ran quickly using as much of their chakra as they could. Sasuke pushed himself hard for speed, this was the first time Itachi had shown his face since he murdered the Uchiha clan in cold blood. All but Sasuke himself were killed and now Sasuke was finally ready to get revenge and kill his brother once and for all.

Sakura worried about Naruto's safety, the only thing a man like Itachi Uchiha could want with Naruto was the Nine Tailed Fox and the power it held. Sakura knew what Itachi had done, her parents had told her about the Uchiha massacre when she was old enough to understand. Looking across to her teammate Sakura knew things couldn't end well but kept that opinion to herself. It was a fight that didn't concern her but she would do all in her power to keep Sasuke and Naruto safe.

_Kakashi's not here to back us up and kami only knows where that pervert Jiraiya is. With any luck he'll be with Naruto and protect him but I can't count on that. So it'll be just us three against Itachi and whoever else happens to be there._

It wasn't long before they reached the outpost village. The streets were busy with street performers and other forms of entertainment as well as market stalls. Sasuke looked around frantically, where could the dobe and the old man with white hair be?

"Sakura can you sense Naruto's chakra signal anywhere?" Sasuke asked knowing Sakura had the better chakra sense.

"I don't know it's hard to tell with all these people around. We need to go further in and look for a hotel or something? That's probably where they would be unless they're out training" Sakura said trying to focus her mind to find Naruto's signal.

They ran quickly through the streets and Sakura continued to scan for Naruto's chakra signal until she felt a huge amount of chakra being produced. Stopping outside a hotel Sakura closed her eyes and focused more. The chakra spiked a little but still contained an airy like feel to it. The chakra belonged to Naruto for sure, Sakura would know his chakra anywhere.

"Sasuke in here!" she yelled and ran into the hotel.

"Listen have you seen a blond kid in here around our age and a white haired old man?" Sasuke demanded scaring the receptionist with his intensity.

"Um let me see" The receptionist began and reached for the sign in book.

"We don't have time for this. I'll just follow his chakra signal now come on. I sense two other chakra signals as well and that can't be good" Sakura said and ran up the stairs towards the main part of the hotel.

Sasuke followed her ignoring the receptionist's cries that they weren't allowed inside. Taking a quick turn left down a hall full of hotel rooms Sakura suddenly stopped and tensed up. Sasuke quickly followed her line of sight and froze in place as he laid eyes on his brother Itachi and another man standing in front of Naruto. Sakura noticed the two men were clothed the same, their cloaks black with red clouds covering them.

"Naruto are you alright?" Sakura asked worriedly and both men turned around. Sakura recognised Itachi immediately his pupils were a blood red indicating he had activated the Sharingan. Like Sasuke he possessed it in both eyes.

"I'm fine but these guys aren't going to take no for an answer" Naruto replied looking at Itachi and his companion warily.

"Well well, it's been a long time hasn't it Sasuke?" Itachi asked quietly, his eyes finally landing on his younger brother.

"Who is that Itachi?" Kisame asked curiously.

"Sasuke Uchiha, my younger brother" Itachi replied evenly.

"Itachi Uchiha. I've fostered my hatred for you ever since you murdered the members of our clan and now the day has come where you die" Sasuke said angrily, he too had activated the Sharingan and began to gather his chakra.

The familiar sound of a thousand birds chirping echoed around the small hallway as Sasuke's hand became enveloped in blue coloured chakra. Itachi's face remained completely emotionless as Sasuke's face became twisted with pure rage. Dragging his arm backward so that the Chidori destroyed the wall next to him, Sasuke ran forward with his arm raised.

"DIE!" he yelled as he drew nearer to Itachi with the full intention of destroying him. This was going to work; the jutsu that Kakashi had taught him would be the thing to kill Itachi. His parents and the other members of the Uchiha clan would finally have peace and Sasuke's goal would be realised.

Sakura and Naruto watched as Sasuke drew closer to Itachi and were shocked when Itachi simply deflected the Chidori into the wall causing it to explode from the impact. Itachi grabbed hold of Sasuke's wrist and looked at him emotionlessly, the last of the chakra from the Chidori slowly fading to nothing.

_Chidori is nothing to be overlooked Sasuke managed to wound Gaara with that jutsu. What kind of strength Itachi must possess to be able to counter it so simply_, Sakura thought as she looked at the two Uchiha brothers in disbelief. They were definitely way out of their league here against those two men.

Sasuke was horrified that the Chidori hadn't been enough. He had worked hard on that jutsu with Kakashi and it was completely useless against Itachi. He was completely useless against Itachi. It was as if his worst fears had been confirmed, his goal was nothing but a joke to Itachi and everyone else.

Naruto sensed there was trouble coming their way with Sakura alone on the other side of the room and Sasuke trapped with Itachi, not to mention the fish looking guy in front of him with a huge sword ready to chop his legs off. Pushing his hands together in a jutsu pose Naruto quickly activated the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra in hopes of performing his summoning jutsu.

Itachi and Kisame quickly turned their attention to the blond boy who was now covered in orange chakra, taking this as his chance to escape Itachi's grasp Sasuke attempted to move but Itachi pulled sharply on his wrist causing it to crack. Sasuke yelled loudly in pain and Sakura winced at the sound feeling completely helpless.

"That's it! Ninja Art Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto said and bit his thumb and began performing the hand signs necessary for the Great Toad summoning but Kisame was quicker.

Bringing his huge sword down an inch away from Naruto, the fish looking man cut off the orange chakra surrounding the blond boy. The sword itself began to move, clearly something was hidden beneath the white bandages it was wrapped in.

"My shark skin sword absorbs chakra and consumes it. So no luck whipping out that jutsu and to make sure you don't try that again I think one of your arms may need to come off" Kisame hissed and raised his sword again.

Sakura knew she had to do something and quickly ran forward intent on hitting Kisame with her chakra infused fist. She managed to make it past Itachi who could have easily have stopped her but decided he should give Kisame some enjoyment in killing at least one person.

Kisame saw her coming a mile off and quickly raised his sword cutting off the chakra to her fist immediately. Sakura was terrified as she felt the power leave her attack and watched the sword move again, swallowing her chakra.

"That was a foolish mistake but no harm done. More chakra for my sword and now you've brought yourself into the middle of this fight so I think I'll have to do away with you. Make an example of you to the blond one" Kisame said triumphantly and raised his sword again.

Sakura closed her eyes and prepared for impact, Sasuke and Naruto were both helpless to do anything and could only watch as Kisame turned on their teammate. But Sakura felt no pain and opened her eyes to see something had blocked the sword and that something was an orange and black speckled toad.

"It was stupid of you to think you could outwit me with just one good looking woman! When you're someone of my level of pure awesome then the women flock to you!" Jiraiya exclaimed appearing behind Naruto.

"YEAH RIGHT YOU TOOK ONE LOOK AT THAT WOMAN AND YOU FELL FOR IT COMPLETELY PERVY SAGE!" Naruto yelled angrily.

"I told you not to call me that! In any case it's no guess what you two are after but to put an innocent young woman under genjutsu just to separate me from my student was low" Jiraiya said his voice taking a serious tone.

"Maybe by your standards but not by ours. The Akatsuki will have Naruto there's no two ways about it" Itachi replied calmly.

"Naruto's not going anywhere with you but the situation does work well for me. I can get rid of both of you now" Jiraiya said.

"Back off! I'm the only one who gets to see him die" Sasuke said getting up slowly.

The toad in front of Sakura disappeared and Kisame lowered his sword and turned to face Jiraiya who was more of a threat.

"Sakura run! Get out of here!" Naruto said loudly.

"I'm not leaving you two here by yourselves!" Sakura said back and Itachi's eyes landed on her for a moment before flickering to Sasuke.

"You don't interest me at the moment. Go away" Itachi said brushing Sasuke off completely. Sasuke wasn't taking that for answer and ran forward quickly with his fist raised but Itachi used minimal effort in retaliating with a sharp kick.

Sasuke hit the wall hard and his body slumped over a little. Sakura decided that although Itachi was a formidable ninja there was no way she would let Sasuke become injured when she had the power to prevent it. The crater punch was out of the question; it would destroy the whole hotel and cause copious amounts of damage not to mention it would take the fighting out onto the street where innocent people could get hurt.

A taijutsu style chakra infused attack was a risk to be sure but Sakura didn't have much else she could use apart from the poison senbon attack but she was sure Itachi would deflect it easily. Head on it was then. Gathering her chakra again Sakura moved forward towards Itachi.

"No Sakura stay out of this! This fight is mine!" Sasuke said angrily and Sakura stepped back letting the chakra run back through her system.

"So be it then" Itachi said growing tired of Sasuke's persistence and walked past Sakura towards his brother.

Jiraiya could see that Sasuke was no match for the older Uchiha and all that he would receive would be the beating Itachi would give him. Moving forward slightly Jiraiya wanted to intervene but Kisame placed his sword in front of the Sanin.

"Do pay attention Jiraiya and let the two Uchiha's hash it out" Kisame said arrogantly.

Sakura stood still and watched as Itachi began his merciless assault on Sasuke, the attacks were simple taijutsu style but it seemed that Sasuke had no strength left as he simply took each blow.

_All these years I've been training for this one day to achieve this one goal. My whole purpose and motivation for continuing to live despite the death of my entire clan. How is it that nothing has changed? He's throwing me around as though I was a useless piece of trash_, Sasuke thought as he fell to the ground.

Itachi reached down and picked Sasuke up by his shirt slamming him into the wall. "You're still too weak, you don't have enough hatred in you and you never will. You'll never be able to get revenge for our dear family" Itachi taunted whispering the words into Sasuke's ear.

"Put him down Itachi" Sakura said angrily, standing behind the older Uchiha. The chakra ran into her fist in huge waves.

"Who are you?" Itachi asked mildly, still pinning Sasuke to the wall.

"Sakura Haruno. Now put my teammate down or I'll make sure to break every bone in your body" Sakura spat.

"Haruno? Oh I remember now. Your dear parents Keiko and Takao were friends with my dear parents. Such a shame that friendship was cut short" Itachi said coolly.

"Don't speak like you feel any guilt for what you've done" Sakura snapped and Itachi simply stared at her.

"Sakura what are you doing? Get away from him, he'll kill you" Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"It would seem my dear younger brother cares if you live or die. How touching. Maybe if you spent more time focusing on your hatred and revenge and less time with these teammates of yours you would stand a chance against me" Itachi said to Sasuke who struggled against Itachi's hold on him.

"Let him go now!" Sakura demanded and charged forward with her chakra fist ready to strike. Itachi quickly let go of Sasuke and deflected Sakura's punch into the wall creating a huge hole.

"Interesting attack. Your chakra control is impressive" Itachi commented and Sakura hissed in pain as he tightened his grip on her wrist.

"You know I think I'll show you something that I was saving for Sasuke just now. You seem determined to save him so it's only fair and I did as you requested" Itachi continued and closed his eyes for the briefest of moments.

"NO!" Sasuke yelled and tried to get to his feet but Itachi knocked him back down again and smacking his head against the wall Sasuke fell into unconsciousness.

"The technique is called Tsukyomi and is designed to inflict huge psychological damage. The only downside is it uses quite a bit of chakra and isn't exactly good for the eyes. So I'll give you a small taste" Itachi said calmly.

Making direct eye contact with Sakura, Itachi activated the Tsukyomi using his Mangekyo Sharingan and suddenly Sakura wasn't looking at the small hallway in the hotel but she was home and looking at the inside of her living room.

But it didn't feel right, the insides of the house were black and white but outside the sky was a blood red. Sakura heard footsteps behind her.

"Sakura sweetheart, help me"

Her father's voice rang out across the room and Sakura turned to see Takao Haruno littered with kunai, blood seeping out from every possible point on his body. His head dangled from his neck attached only by the smallest bit of skin. Blood gushed from his eyes and nose.

Sakura let out a blood curdling scream which left her mouth inside her mind and outside. Naruto's head snapped up as soon as he heard it. "Itachi! He's got Sakura and he's doing something to her!" Naruto yelled at Jiraiya.

Just as her father's corpse fell to the ground Sakura fell to her knees in absolute agony. She screamed again as she saw her mother approaching in exactly the same condition.

"Sakura sweetheart, help me"

"NO NO NO! MOTHER FATHER! MAKE IT STOP!" Sakura yelled tears falling freely from her eyes.

"**ITACHI UCHIHA. REMOVE THE TSUKYOMI" **Inner Sakura thundered loudly and appeared in front of Sakura.

Itachi did not appear himself and the vision created by the Tsukyomi remained except now Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi appeared. Sakura opened her eyes and screamed again at the sight.

"**ENOUGH!" **Inner yelled and threw her hands out in front of her dissipating the visions completely. Sakura's vision went white before she blacked out completely.

Itachi's eyes blurred at little before he was able to see properly. Sakura Haruno was slumped over on the ground near his brother completely unconscious.

_No one has ever repelled the Tsukyomi from me. No one can unless they are of Uchiha blood and can wield the Sharingan effectively. How did she?_

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><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Hope you're all having a good week so far! Here's the latest chapter for you and I hope it turned out alright for you all! Thanks again for all your support and feedback it's been greatly appreciated! I read every single review and try to remember to respond to any questions and so on!

If you liked the chapter be sure to let me know via review, favourite or follow whatever you prefer! I'll see you all next Wednesday with another update :D x


	32. Land of Snow

The Turning Point 

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><p>Naruto had never liked hospitals in general but the Intensive Care ward was something he never wanted to visit again unless he was a patient himself. At least the granny lady Tsunade had the sense to put his two teammates together in the same room so Naruto could sit between their two beds and watch over them carefully.<p>

Sasuke was the first to wake up, he had come around the very next day after Naruto and Jiraiya had returned to the village. The pervert Sanin had postponed the training he had scheduled for Naruto and had made himself very happily acquainted with the bath houses in Konoha. Sasuke seemed defeated and didn't have much to say to Naruto, his mind continually played back the fight between Itachi and the sickening realisation that he wasn't enough. Looking over at Sakura's bed made that realisation all the more truthful.

They began to grow concerned when the days passed by and Sakura still hadn't woken. Hearing what Sakura had been through and how she had experienced the same thing he had, Kakashi worried the most. Sasuke had still not been permitted discharge from the hospital and a part of him was glad that he was able to keep watch over Sakura morning and night. But if some harm was to come to her what could he possibly do to protect her? His own teammate not even of the Uchiha clan was able to repel the tsukyomi, from what his father had told him the technique could only be repelled by an Uchiha.

"Oh hey there granny-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as Tsunade entered the room. By now it had almost been a week since the incident with Itachi and Kisame.

"Don't call me that unless you want a beating" Tsunade replied and walked past Naruto to examine the chart at the end of Sakura's bed.

"Has there been any change?" Kakashi asked looking up from his book.

"No she's the same" Tsunade said concern leaking into her voice.

"So you don't know when she'll wake up then?" Sasuke demanded feeling annoyed with the whole situation.

"No I don't. Like I've said before it's a self-induced coma. Sakura's mind has suffered a severe amount of trauma from the tsukyomi. It's trying to protect itself but I'm confident she'll wake I just don't know when" Tsunade snapped back.

"And when she does? Can the damage be repaired?" Kakashi asked quietly.

"From what Naruto has told me the attack on her mind didn't last long. I should be able to repair the damage to Sakura like I did for you Kakashi" Tsunade replied and put the chart down.

"There is a button next to her bed, if she wakes all you have to do is push it. It's connected to my office so I'll hear it first thing"

With that Tsunade left the room and Naruto clenched his fists in anger. "What so that was it? A few short words and she just leaves again!? She doesn't have any sympathy for Sakura at all!"

"Don't be stupid Naruto of course she does. Sakura works here Lady Tsunade promoted her to head nurse. She's just being professional. Now I have to go, there is a lot to discuss about security and the election of the Fifth Hokage and all Jounin need to be involved" Kakashi said and stood up.

"Wait sensei what if Sakura wakes up and you miss it!?" Naruto demanded unhappily.

"I'll be informed of any change by Lady Tsunade. Besides Sasuke is here with Sakura he'll keep good watch over her. I heard Jiraiya wanted to resume your postponed training today" Kakashi said.

"Alright it's about time that Pervy Sage figured out his priorities! But Sakura-chan I can't go while she's still like this" Naruto trailed off looking sadly at his teammate.

"Hn it's fine they won't let me leave for training anyway, somehow that blonde woman knows exactly when I'm going to leave and stops me. I'll be here with her" Sasuke said swallowing the resentment he felt.

"Right don't let anything happen to her teme or you'll have to answer to me" Naruto exclaimed and lept out of the hospital window, at the same time Kakashi disappeared.

Sakura shifted a little in her bed and Sasuke looked across at her hopefully but she didn't wake. Sighing loudly Sasuke slid down into his bed and rested his hands behind his head staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't that he didn't want to be here for when Sakura awoke but it felt as though he was trapped while Naruto was allowed to roam about freely training with the Sanin Jiraiya.

When Sakura awoke it was pitch black and she immediately sensed she wasn't in her room at home, this was somewhere completely unfamiliar. Then she saw it again, the image of her parents and their nearly headless corpses advancing towards her pleading for her help. Sakura screamed as loud as she could as she began sobbing uncontrollably.

"Sakura! You're awake. Why are you crying? Calm down!" Sasuke said and lurched from his bed over to where Sakura had curled herself up into a ball sobbing and screaming. It was the middle of the night and Sasuke had been

Vaguely Sakura could hear someone calling to her and it sounded like Sasuke but she couldn't see him. All she could see was her parents they took up every space in the room and continued to advance towards to her.

"N-No stay back!" Sakura yelled fearful and immediately began to pull her fist back and hit the images of her parent's corpses but every time she would hit one another would appear instantly.

Sasuke ducked quickly to avoid a chakra infused punch to the head as he watched his teammate hit out at completely invisible enemies. Bitting down on his lip Sasuke reached out and attempted to restrain her as Sakura thrashed around on the bed before lying completely still.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked keeping her eyes closed tightly, fearing what she would see but she sensed his chakra and tried to relax.

"Sakura. You can open your eyes. We're in the hospital and there is nothing here" Sasuke said and grabbed her wrists firmly in case she should try and hit him again.

"Itachi and he and all I can see are my parents and they're dead and I have to go and find them!" Sakura exclaimed panicking and struggled against Sasuke's grasp.

"It's the effect of the tsukyomi. Itachi can make you see things that aren't real. It plays with your mind. You're safe and your parents are alive and in the village" Sasuke said trying to reassure her.

"No they're not that's just it. My father he's gone he was on a mission and he never returned and my mother she went to find him and I have no one left" Sakura replied shaking violently.

"What do you mean? Your parents are missing ninja?" Sasuke questioned and Sakura nodded still shaking.

Sasuke looked at the red button next to the bed; he knew Tsunade would want to know that Sakura was awake so she could begin the reparation of her psyche. But Sakura looked scared, more terrified than he'd ever seen her before in his life. He felt guilt and responsibility if he had just been strong enough to beat Itachi.

_Should I comfort her? Hold her? But he said these attachments make me weak. The fondness for my teammates allowed me to stray from my true path_, Sasuke thought completely confused about what he should do.

_But I'm not like him. I'm nothing like Itachi is that why I couldn't beat him. But Naruto could have, Naruto is stronger than I am but he has so many attachments to different people. What does that mean?_

"Sasuke? What are you doing?" Sakura asked watching her teammate through fearful eyes.

"Hn nothing move over" Sasuke instructed and Sakura moved to allow Sasuke to sit in the small hospital bed next to her.

"Don't tell anyone what I told you about my parents" Sakura said sitting up a little, calmer than before.

"I won't. Go to sleep and I'll call for the nurses tomorrow" Sasuke instructed.

In a matter of minutes Sakura was asleep and Sasuke figured she must be drained from the visions caused by the tsukyomi. Once he was certain she was asleep Sasuke lay down next to her and shut his eyes hoping sleep would come easily for him this time.

Unconsciously Sakura felt the warmth from Sasuke's body and moved herself closer into his side to benefit from it. Sasuke froze at the contact and was half tempted to get up and return to his own bed but something compelled him to stay. He couldn't leave Sakura alone in her state prone to the horrible visions caused by Itachi's sharingan.

But his attachment to her was strong and seemed to be growing stronger; it was getting out of hand to the point where he would put her wellbeing before his own. Revenge against Itachi was all he had wanted, all he had trained for in life and suddenly that was ripped out from underneath him. Itachi paid more attention to Sakura, someone who wasn't even of the Uchiha clan and dismissed him. Beat him up as though it was nothing and everything Sasuke had worked for seemed completely irrelevant.

Clenching his fists in anger Sasuke removed himself from Sakura's bed and went back to his own. The images flashed through his mind, the connection to his teammates and how it could have made him weak. Jiraiya training Naruto, Sakura standing up against Itachi and his brother speaking of how his attachments made him weak.

_What do I do now?_

Sakura had been in psychiatric treatment with Tsunade for what seemed like hours, trying to shut out or destroy the visions completely. Inner had disappeared somewhere again into the recesses of her mind and Sakura was half glad of that. She didn't want Tsunade to find her.

Once the treatment had been completed Sakura was ushered back to her room to rest despite her urging that she was fine and ready to start her head nurse duties. But Tsunade had insisted and Sakura trudged back to the room she shared with Sasuke to find him gone and the bed made up.

_I guess he's been discharged. It's a shame I was hoping to talk to him about last night. I shouldn't have said anything about my parents that was foolish of me. I guess he'll want to know about the tsukyomi attack and how I repelled it. A lot of people will including Tsunade-sama. How do I explain it?_

"Yo" Kakashi said from his spot in one of the visitor chairs.

"Oh it's you Kakashi-sensei. I swear you shouldn't sneak up on people like that" Sakura said trying to calm down.

"Right uh sorry about that. How are you feeling?" Kakashi asked concerned.

"I'm alright just really tired is all, Lady Tsunade managed to repair most of the psychological damage caused by Itachi but I'll be prone to relapses as my mind recovers" Sakura replied sitting on the edge of her bed.

"That's good to hear then. She was able to repair most of the damage he caused me as well. Although in truth I was worried more for you because you are much younger and have had no experiences with the Sharingan" Kakashi said evenly.

"You were affected by it as well? That means you must have fought Itachi" Sakura exclaimed absorbing the new information.

"Yes I did. I think you know what I'm going to ask you next" Kakashi said focusing his eyes on his student.

"You want to know how I stopped it. Just like Naruto and Sasuke and everyone else in this damn hospital probably wants to know, I could do without the questions I'm supposed to be in recovery" Sakura said feeling frustrated.

Kakashi simply sat patiently waiting for her response and Sakura narrowed her eyes dangerously. At that point she wanted nothing more than to punch a hole in the hospital wall, partly because of her frustrations but partly because she wanted to leave.

"I don't know okay I don't know what happened. One minute I saw the horrific visions that I don't even want to revisit and the next minute there was this blinding white light and then everything went black" Sakura huffed leaving out the parts about Inner.

"I see. Interesting, did you know the tsukyomi cannot be stopped by anyone other than an Uchiha. More than that it has to be a blood relative of the person using the technique so if we're to go on theory Sasuke is the only person who could have stopped it" Kakashi mused aloud.

"Well it looks like I'm the first then" Sakura remarked a little snarky. Kakashi glanced at her reproachfully and Sakura looked down feeling a little ashamed.

"I should be off then. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better. Apparently Lady Tsunade believes you'll be fit to start your head nurse duties in a matter of days" Kakashi said cheerfully.

"Wait sensei I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap but there is something I want to talk to you about. It involves Sasuke" Sakura said hurriedly before Kakashi could do his disappearing act.

"Go on then"

"I've noticed ever since the fight with Gaara, Sasuke has been acting strangely and I don't think this fight with Itachi has helped. I think Sasuke feels inferior or weaker than Naruto because of Naruto's training with the Sanin and his new abilities. Add to that this whole business with me being able to do something no one but the Uchiha clan can do I think Sasuke is starting to question his purpose and motives" Sakura explained.

"You fear he'll go to Orochimaru" Kakashi concluded and Sakura nodded vigorously.

"What other option is there that he can see if he believes he is not getting closer to his goal here in the Leaf Village. Itachi beat him senseless and tossed him around like Sasuke was some weak genin with nothing to offer. Orochimaru promised him power and Sasuke needs that to beat Itachi"

"I see. So what do you propose we do about it?" Kakashi asked.

"I-I don't know. But we can't let him leave because I know there is no way he'll come back willingly. Maybe you could work with him more sensei? Teach him some more techniques" Sakura suggested feeling as though she didn't really have a solution at all.

"Ultimately the decision will be Sasuke's. He'll leave the village seeking Itachi now that he knows he's out there and after Naruto. Who he goes through to get to him is another matter entirely. All we can do is keep watch over him and try to prevent it if he does" Kakashi concluded.

"So we're to sit around and wait for him to leave is that what you're saying?" Sakura demanded and Kakashi sighed.

"It seems like the only option we have. Forbidding it only makes it more enticing but maybe a little holiday might do us all good. Away from the village for a while to somewhere new and exotic to get our minds off all this trouble that's happened" Kakashi said cheerfully.

"A holiday?" Sakura asked sceptically, ninja holidays were few and far between.

"Not so much a holiday as a holiday mission. In three days' time the new Princess Gale movie comes out. I want you and Naruto and Sasuke to go and see it, here are your tickets" Kakashi said and reached into his jacket pocket.

"Wait so our holiday mission is to go and see a movie?"

"That's not the mission exactly but the movie is good background plus it should be entertaining. I'll see you in three days" The silver haired Jounin said before disappearing.

The next three days past slowly for Sakura as she attempted to get back to things as normal. Her first day as head nurse was a complete disaster. She forgot medicine and patient forms and suddenly all the medical training she had received seemed pointless as she continually doubted herself and her abilities. Not to mention all the talk behind her back about what went on with Itachi made some of the nurses completely fearful of her. She ended up sitting with her head on the desk of the nurse's station in defeat when Tsunade happened to find her.

"Sakura what are you doing? You're supposed to be in surgery!" Tsunade demanded angrily as her apprentice looked up at her with defeated eyes.

"You're right this was a mistake. On the first day alone I've screwed up more times than I can count and everyone perceives me to be so weak after the tsukyomi attack that they refuse to listen to a word I say" Sakura complained.

"The solution is simple you need to be more confident. Your mind has recovered and all is as it was before. It's just you that needs to fix the attitude you have right now" Tsunade declared.

"Easy for you to say" Sakura mumbled staring at the incomplete paperwork before her.

"People used to perceive me as weak. They thought it was stupid that I was a medical ninja one of the best in my field and yet I was terrified of the sight of blood" Tsunade replied sitting down next to her student.

"Fear of blood? You suffered from haemophobia?" Sakura asked completely shocked.

"I do still suffer from it. But it's not as bad as it was before, I can stay in surgery for longer periods of time. I saw some very important people die in front of me and since then it's never been the same. Shizune has helped me greatly; I am in debit to her for helping me overcome the crippling part of my fear gradually" Tsunade explained.

"I'm sorry to hear that, your loss must have been great" Sakura said quietly feeling embarrassed for sulking.

"It still hurts yes as all loss does but it gets easier with each passing year. The lesson for you to learn is to not let a fear stop you from doing what I know you're capable of. You fear because of the effects of the tsukyomi that you are not as skilled as you were before. But that's nonsense you remain the same. Like I said you just need your confidence back" Tsunade repeated and got to her feet.

"The paperwork needs to be on my desk tomorrow morning. I can cover you in surgery but you have patients to attend to"

Sakura listened to Tsunade's footsteps head off towards the surgery section of the hospital and let out a sigh as she focused back on the paperwork in front of her. Determinedly she picked up a pen and began filling out each sheet. Tsunade was right, she needed to get her confidence back and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She trained hard with Tsunade at night practicing the techniques she had been taught, especially the crater punch she had used against Gaara. It was getting much stronger and Sakura was pleased. Gaining her confidence back took a little bit of a push but soon enough she was barking orders at the nursing staff, attending patients, performing well in surgery and filling out page after page of paperwork efficiently. She even managed to spend time with Shizune learning more about the different kinds of poison learning slowly how to treat someone who has been poisoned but also how to use poison efficiently.

Naruto returned from training and was happy to find Sakura awake and feeling much better. Kakashi had informed him of the 'holiday mission' too and Naruto was excited to be leaving the village again. He babbled about a new jutsu Jiraiya had taught him and it seemed he had a taste for travelling. Sakura couldn't deny her excitement either, a chance to leave the village and see another land plus potentially be able to do some of her own reconnaissance about the whereabouts of her parents was very appealing.

Yet the lack of communication from Sasuke troubled her greatly. No one had heard from him since he had been discharged from the hospital, with Naruto away from the village and Kakashi making arrangements with the other Jounin about the next Hokage Sakura felt very nervous.

_Could he have gone already? Slipped out in the night and left to find Orochimaru he promised he wouldn't but how much does that promise to me compare to the one he made himself to kill Itachi_, Sakura thought anxiously as she packed her bag for the mission.

Taking all necessary medical remedies Sakura locked the door to her empty house and walked towards the village gates. It pained her to think of the last time she'd left home for a mission her mother had still been there. She had to change her story again word finally got out that her mother was no longer in the village. The ANBU had called and Sakura was forced to lie saying her mother had gone to visit relatives they had although Sakura was unsure where. That would buy her some time at least.

Approaching the gates she spotted Naruto and standing next to him was Sasuke. Sakura let out a huge sigh of relief and hurried over to her teammates.

"Alright Sakura-chan! Now you're here we can get going! Oh man I can't wait to see the new Princess Gale movie!"

"Hi Naruto, Sasuke I was beginning to worry I hadn't heard from you since you were discharged" Sakura said anxious to hear Sasuke's response.

"Hn I was fine. Now let's get moving for some reason Kakashi picked a small cinema in a village just outside Konoha to see this stupid movie" Sasuke said abruptly making no eye contact with Sakura at all. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he walked off.

"I don't understand" Sakura mumbled. Just when things were going well with Sasuke he shut her out again. After she told him a secret she'd been hiding for so long.

"Don't worry Sakura, Sasuke-teme is in one of his moods again" Naruto said cheerfully but he was too excited about the movie to pay any attention to what was really going on.

"Yeah a mood sure" Sakura replied and trudged after her teammates towards the small village.

"That was totally awesome! Princess Gale was so cool and that rainbow chakra! I wish I had a girl like her to fight for" Naruto exclaimed staring up at the movie promotional poster outside the back of the cinema.

"We didn't even get to see the end no thanks to you. How hard is it to keep quiet?" Sakura huffed recalling Naruto's loud comments that ended up getting them thrown out.

"Hn it's hard if you're him" Sasuke added and Naruto glared at him viciously.

"Trust you not to enjoy the movie Mr I'm Too Cool for Everything. What's with the bad attitude you're worse than usual!"

"Mind your own business dobe" Sasuke snapped back with more anger than necessary.

"Sasuke what is wrong with you? You seemed fine at the hospital" Sakura asked cautiously trying to quell the frustration mounting within her.

"Well things change don't they?" Sasuke retorted.

"Is this about Itachi because I can't exactly explain what happened kami knows I've thought about it long enough" Sakura began but Sasuke glared at her.

"How hard is it for you to mind your own business and stay out of matters that don't concern you? Itachi is my brother it's my fight against him and all I hear is how you stood up to Itachi Uchiha and survived the tsukyomi. They make you out to be some kind of hero but you're not, it's not your clan you have no part in it!" Sasuke spoke his voice rising.

"I did it to help you! I don't want any part in your clan and I know the fight is between you and him but did you honestly think I was going to let him continue hurting you to the point where you could have died!?" Sakura snapped her anger breaking through.

"I didn't ask for your help but you gave it anyway didn't you. Of course you had to help me because I was too weak and useless to fight him on my own. I needed you and the dobe to save me from him" Sasuke spat back sarcastically.

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that teme!" Naruto exclaimed but he was ignored.

"Did I say that Sasuke? Did I give even the slightest implication that I thought you were weak? Itachi is an S-ranked criminal and neither Naruto nor I could beat him in a fight none of us could you know that. I thought things were different with us now and that somehow our friendship was growing stronger but I guess that was something only I saw" Sakura said looking at the ground in defeat.

Sasuke looked at Sakura and then at Naruto's disapproving face and felt the urge to punch something. But the sound of horse's hooves quickly drew everyone's attention to the large gate behind the cinema. The gate burst open and a woman who looked exactly like Princess Gale flew past them on a white horse and followed a path leading into the village.

"Hey was that?" Naruto asked but his reply was drowned out by another lot of horse's hooves, sensing that there was more than just one Sasuke and Sakura moved out of the way but Naruto wasn't so quick.

The men seated on top of the horses were dressed in black plated armour and helmets their faces completely obscured. They were dressed like the minions of the lead villain in the movie. Naruto stood up rubbing his back.

"What the hell was that? Who were those guys? They were after Princess Gale right! We have to stop them!" Before Sakura or Sasuke could say anything Naruto had gone taking off into the village.

"Hn Sakura" Sasuke began annoyed that he was going to have to apologise to her again.

"We can't let him go alone there's too many of those guys" Sakura said cutting him off and running after Naruto into the village.

_Great just great_, Sasuke thought and followed his teammates.

Sakura followed Naruto leaping onto the roof of a house keeping her eye trained on the woman and the body guards in hot pursuit of her. Naruto threw a couple of oil balls to slow down the men and shredded a net that they used to capture her but the men were persistent. Sakura quickly got Naruto's attention and through a quick series of hand sign communications she told Naruto she'd perform a clone jutsu and switch herself with the woman allowing her to escape. Naruto looked concerned for her safety considering Sasuke was nowhere to be found but he agreed communicating back that he would go after the princess.

Sakura performed the switch effortlessly and soon enough all the men were pursuing her. They seemed to be just normal people and were definitely not ninja. The horse she was on all of a sudden reared up and Sakura fell straight on the ground. Immediately the men jumped off their horses and tackled her, they were strong and had managed to restrain her completely pulling her arms behind her back.

Standing up Sakura saw another man on a horse ride up and seemed satisfied at the fact that she had been caught.

"Well done men" he began adjusting his glasses, but the jutsu disguising Sakura disappeared and he stared in shock at the pink haired teenager who had replaced Princess Gale.

Sasuke materialised behind him and sent a quick blow to the side of his neck knocking him unconscious and he fell from his horse. The men who had restrained Sakura looked fearfully at Sasuke who glared at them. Sakura was able to slip out of their grasp just as the men decided to bid a hasty retreat.

But Sakura stood at the other end blocking their only point of escape between her and Sasuke. The men quickly stopped in front of her unsure of what to do, seeing the headband on her forehead told them she was a ninja. But she appeared so small and petite, what damage could she possibly cause to them? It was the boy with the dark hair that scared them more.

"Don't think I'm going to let you get away with what you did to me" Sakura said cracking her knuckles for emphasis.

"**Alright let them have it!" **Inner said and Sakura gathered the chakra in her fist.

Within a few seconds all the men had fallen to the ground and Sasuke appeared next to Sakura to begin the arduous task of tying them all up.

"Who are these guys anyway and what did they want with that woman?" Sakura wondered aloud as Sasuke tightened the rope around one of the men.

"What in the world are you two doing?" Kakashi asked appearing out of nowhere.

"Hn waiting for you to show" Sasuke replied and immediately all the ropes around the men fell to the ground.

"I'm really sorry about this" Kakashi said sheepishly bending down to help the man with the glasses up.

"Why are you sorry? What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"This is Sandayu the man who hired us for our mission" Kakashi explained.

"I'm glad to see you've arrived safely. I suppose the best place to take you is the lot where everyone is getting ready. I'll explain things from there" Sandayu said.

"What about them?" Sasuke asked jerking his head towards the men who had chased them.

"Stunt doubles. They know where to find us besides I don't think some of them will be getting up for a while thanks to your friend"

"Uh right sorry about that bad day bad people" Sakura said and shot a pointed look at Sasuke.

_Those two are fighting again? _Kakashi thought and sighed at the thought of another mission with Sakura's bad temper and Sasuke's brooding.

"Naruto went after that woman dressed like Princess Gale. Is he going to be alright?" Sakura asked immediately remembering her teammate.

"I'm sure he'll be fine if he's as qualified as you two are. Besides we'll be tracking her down soon enough so I'm sure we'll run into him" Sandayu replied cheerfully.

The film lot was very busy filled with people packing boxes and costumes and taking down sets. Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi were led to a corner of a huge warehouse where the director of the Princess Gale movies sat with his assistant director.

"This is the first of the Princess Gale movies that we'll be shooting abroad if you're wondering why everyone is packing up. A lot of stuff we need to take" Director Makino said as Sakura looked around interestedly.

"But our lead actress happens to be quite the diva" the assistant director piped up.

"So you're saying the woman who was dressed as Princess Gale on that horse was actually the real actress?" Sakura asked.

"That's correct and I do apologise for her behaviour on set" Sandayu said bowing slightly to the assistant director.

"You two were impressive the Leaf Village sure has some strong ninja. Those stunt men double as bodyguards for us and they're pretty big guys" Director Makino commented gruffly.

"Well thank you" Kakashi said pleased with the compliment.

"We're headed to the Land of Snow to shoot the next instalment. Those glaciers are perfect for us" the assistant director said.

"Hn that's a long way to go just for a movie" Sasuke commented.

"Sandayu recommended it, he's Yukie Fujikaze manager. Apparently the rainbow glacier turns seven different colours in the spring!"

"No that's just a legend spread to attract tourists. The Land of Snow has no spring it's constantly in winter" Kakashi said.

"I hope they have central heating then I'm not too cut out for the cold!" One of the three supporting actors said coming over followed by the other two.

"Well maybe you should run away just like Yukie huh?" Another actor taunted and they all laughed.

"So is she always like this? Running away?" Sakura asked looking at the different pictures on the wall of the actress.

"I guess you could say that. She wouldn't really understand things like dreams or aspirations. Off camera she's a little odd I suppose" One of the actors said giving Sakura a wink which she ignored.

"I don't care what she's like off camera all that matters is that she gives it her all when she's on camera. She's a born actress and no one else can play this part like she can" The director said abruptly.

"That's not entirely true what you said Hidero, Yukie's only been running from the set ever since she found out we were going to the Land of Snow to shoot" The assistant director said.

"Is that the time! We've got to be at the dock by early morning to get all the equipment and staff on the boat to the Land of Snow! Alright everyone move it out!" Director Makino yelled into his megaphone and Sasuke shot him a glare as he covered his ears.

"Sandayu we need to locate Naruto and Yukie. Do you know where Yukie would go?" Kakashi asked as the actors and directing staff scrambled over one another in their hurry to get everything organised.

"Yes there is a bar that she frequents I just hope she hasn't had too much to drink otherwise she'll be less than capable of shooting tomorrow. Follow me"

Sandayu burst through the back entrance to the pub running as though his life depended upon it. Sakura was close behind him mostly because she was afraid on the way over that he'd trip and fall in the dark. Sasuke followed hands shoved deep in his pockets annoyed at all the hurry over some movie actress and Kakashi brought up the rear keeping his eyes open.

"Miss Yukie!" Sandayu called out finding her at the bar with a bottle of sake and a blond boy standing next to her.

"Naruto you okay?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah I'm fine. The lady is drunk though" Naruto said thoughtlessly.

"Shut up!" Yukie said and tossed down another shot of sake.

"Our boat to the Land of Snow is getting ready to leave and you need to be on it" Sandayu instructed his tone turning serious.

"Oh haven't I told you I'm giving up on being an actress" Yukie slurred waving the bottle around.

"What! There is no one else on this planet that can play Princess Gale but you! If you decide to pull out now you'll never work in the acting business again do you understand!?" Sandayu yelled slamming his fist on the table.

"Whatever, you can't change my mind" Yukie said looking at her manager disinterestedly.

"You leave me no other choice then" Sakura said quietly and reached into her ninja pouch, pulling out a strip of cloth and a vial of clear liquid.

Dampening the cloth Sakura walked over to Yukie and covered her mouth with it. Within a few moments Yukie collapsed into Kakashi's arms completely unconscious.

"What was that?" Naruto asked peering curiously at the bottle.

"Chloroform" Sakura replied tucking the bottle back into the pouch and disposed of the cloth.

"Well it did the job so thank you Sakura. Now let's get moving we need to be on that boat to the Land of Snow within the hour" Sandayu said helping Kakashi escort Yukie out of the bar. 

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Hope you enjoyed this weeks installment. I think it was a little bit of a bridging chapter but nonetheless I hope you liked it ^^ I have big plans for the Land of Snow chapters so I can't wait to change up Sakura's role in all that. Please review/follow/favourite if you like what I'm putting out there ;) I'll see you all next Wednesday! :) x


	33. Land of Snow Part 2

The Turning Point 

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><p>It was just after midnight when Naruto shook Sakura awake to inform her that it was her turn to take the next watch. Sakura yawned uncontrollably but nodded and stood up as Naruto closed the door to her cabin room within the ship and headed back to the room he shared with Sasuke. Sakura dressed in her ninja clothing and decided to take her bag of medicinal supplies with her, it was important to double check nothing had been misplaced since they had boarded the ship. Taking her medical book from the nightstand Sakura opened the door to her cabin and headed out onto the main part of the ship.<p>

Sitting on the wooden mast of the ship Sakura made sure she could see the deck and cabins clearly as well as the open sea in case of any attack. Opening her medical book Sakura began to read up on a list of common injuries and potentially life threatening situations the human body could experience in extreme cold.

_Better to be safe than sorry_, Sakura thought as she stifled another yawn and flicked to the next page on hypothermia.

She had checked the calendar before they had left for the mission and it confirmed her fears that her birthday was less than 3 weeks away. It would be the first birthday she would spend without her parents. To turn fifteen and be completely orphaned in a village where many people still thought her family were together was not something Sakura wanted to celebrate. Besides with everything in perspective things like birthdays seemed trivial at most.

It had occurred to her that maybe she should tell someone about her Inner and the power it seemed to possess. Truthfully Sakura was scared of the possibilities, it now seemed Inner had a mind of her own and an ability to use Sakura's body without her consent. For the moment Inner was cooperating with Sakura for a common goal but what if someone were to obtain that power and use it against her and the village? What power did she even have to begin with? When did Inner change from a childhood friend in her head to this being with incredible strength and the ability to break an advanced technique like the one Itachi Uchiha had used?

Her thoughts were interrupted when suddenly Sakura felt the weight of the mast dip behind her. Given the fact that the wind was hardly blowing and nothing else was resting on the beam of wood Sakura knew there was an enemy on board the ship. Clearly a ninja because they were quiet almost undetectable, Sakura couldn't sense any chakra but they'd probably masked it. Reaching slowly for her kunai the female ninja decided she would jump up and attack quickly sending chakra to her feet to hold her balance on the mast.

Grasping the kunai in her hand Sakura angled her head a little to see if the full moon would shed any light on her attacker. Seeing a familiar crop of spiky black hair Sakura relaxed a little and returned her attentions to her book.

"Scared?" Sasuke asked a little arrogantly.

"No I was preparing myself for an attack" Sakura shot back curtly and returned her attention to her book.

"Move over" Sasuke instructed jumping agilely next to Sakura who begrudgingly shifted down the wooden beam.

"What do you want Sasuke? Your shift isn't for another two hours and I'm trying to get some reading done" Sakura huffed as Sasuke sat down next to her, his back resting against the main portion of the mast.

"Hn for some reason I need to apologise to you again, the dobe wouldn't stop badgering me about it" Sasuke explained.

"Oh so you're only here because Naruto made you come? And what is this 'for some reason' attitude as if you don't know what you did!" Sakura snapped closing her book angrily.

"I'm here because I want to be not because of Naruto. And I know what I did and I'm sorry" Sasuke said a little embarrassed with the situation.

"You know it wasn't my fault right? I couldn't control what happened" Sakura said quietly and out of the corner of her eye she saw Sasuke nod.

"How did you stop the tsukyomi?"

Sakura smirked a little at her teammate's bluntness "I don't know. One minute I could see the horrific visions and the next there was a huge white light and then everything went black"

"Aa"

"He'll always be stronger than us you know" Sakura said midly swinging her legs off the mast.

"Hn the dobe will never be stronger than me" Sasuke replied.

"There's no point in denying it but it's not a reflection of our abilities. The Nine Tailed Fox's chakra is truly impressive not to mention Naruto has that insane will to not give up even when he's beaten" Sakura said opening her book again.

"You think he could have beaten Itachi" Sasuke stated his fists clenching at the thought.

"I didn't say that. My point is that I know what you must be feeling because I feel it to. Naruto has strength and power that neither of us will get to experience. But we shouldn't stop working and training hard just because of that in fact we should probably work harder" Sakura said reflecting on her own training.

"I worked hard and trained hard ever since Itachi murdered my clan. Every single day since then I've thought of nothing but revenge against him. Then I get the opportunity and what I've learnt has no effect and you tell me I need to work harder?" Sasuke said frustratedly looking at Sakura for clarification.

"Itachi is an S-ranked criminal Sasuke. You've only just mastered the use of the Chidori and only just become a Chunin. There are not many shinobi alive who could fight Itachi look what happened to Kakashi-sensei. I'm saying that you have a lot more you can learn from Kakashi and I'm sure there are techniques the Uchiha clan have that you haven't even discovered yet" Sakura said logically.

"Hn. I don't have the time to wait for that, my brother needs to die for what he did and I need to be the one to do it before someone else does" Sasuke said plainly although he noted the logic behind what Sakura was saying.

_It's true. Even Gaara when he was fully possessed by the sand spirit could see it. Sasuke is solely driven by revenge on Itachi. What do I pretend to offer him? _Sakura thought as silence engulfed the two members of Team 7.

"I could train with you if you want to help you practice your techniques. I have two afternoons off each week and I could always use the extra training to work on what I've learnt" Sakura offered.

"Don't you have anything else to do?" Sasuke asked her sounding rude.

"Well let's see my mother and father are missing and when everyone finds out they'll presume they're dead and I guess I'll have to organise funerals but up until then I'm free to train with you" Sakura said sarcastically.

Sasuke shifted a little uncomfortably at the distinct truth behind the words. "Hn I guess I'm sorry again for that. But I do need someone to spar with who won't beg me for ramen afterwards"

Sakura laughed a little and Sasuke smirked. They sat in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes before Sakura broke it again.

"When Itachi said that you had become too attached to us and that's why you weren't able to stop him, you believed that didn't you"

"Hn" Was all Sasuke could offer.

"You shouldn't distance yourself from people who want to help you. Naruto admires and respects you; to me the two of you seem like brothers. Bickering and squabbling between each other and always trying to outdo each other but at the end of the day you have each other's backs" Sakura said and the Uchiha boy seemed content enough to listen.

"And Kakashi sees you as a student with so much potential. Someone who he can help and teach things he wasn't taught himself not only techniques and jutsu but life lessons as well. I think he respects you as well and your abilities as a ninja. Even though you can't tell behind that mask I can see that he's proud of your accomplishments so far. Especially with the Chidori, I heard him bragging to Gai about it" Sakura finished happily.

"And you?" Sasuke asked.

"And me what?" she replied looking at Sasuke in confusion.

"What's our attachment?" Sasuke asked fixing her with an intense stare and Sakura swallowed hard.

"I-I well you and I we're teammates and I" Sakura fumbled over her words. Why was she suddenly now illiterate? A blush threatened to break out on her face and all the pink haired teen could focus on were how dark Sasuke's eyes were.

"Teammates?" Sasuke prompted and seemed to be moving closer towards her causing Sakura to inch back a little.

"Yeah teammates and friends" Sakura answered satisfied with her answer although she didn't entirely believe it and Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the response.

"Tch is that all you want us to be?" Sasuke smirked and moved closer still. Sakura could feel her heart beating out of her chest. What exactly was happening?

"GAHHH! MR MAKINO YOU NEED TO COME OUT AND SEE THIS!" The assistant director yelled from the deck below startling both Sakura and Sasuke out of their conversation.

They must have been talking for hours because the sun was just starting to rise up and the film crew below them were standing at the front of the boat looking at a huge glacier that was blocking the route to the Land of Snow.

"Sakura, Sasuke. What are you two doing up there?" Kakashi called out from the deck below where he and Naruto stood dressed in beige coloured cloaks.

"Nothing" Sasuke replied and looked at Sakura briefly before jumping down. Sakura sighed and gathered up her things to quickly join her teammates.

Naruto shot Sasuke a suggestive look which he ignored completely but couldn't help but smirk at Sakura who was normally so cool and collected and now appeared flustered and confused. Kakashi decided to keep his thoughts to himself and presented his two students with beige coloured cloaks to keep them warm.

"What's going on anyway sensei? I was having a great dream about all the ramen I'm going to eat when we get back" Naruto grumbled.

"The problem is there is a huge glacier in the way!" The assistant director exclaimed to the Leaf Ninja.

"You idiot! This is the perfect place to shoot the next scene! Don't be a fool and go around it when the gods are begging us to shoot here!" Director Makino exclaimed emerging from his cabin clad in plaid pyjamas.

"Wake Yukie, Sandayu and the other actors as well before this glacier moves away and we lose the location! All of you get prepared now!"

The film crew got ready quickly with some remaining on the boat to get a wide view shot and others coming ashore to the glacier in order to film the scene up close. Team 7 went ashore with the actors, Yukie and Sandayu. Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were stationed around the filming as look outs with Kakashi remaining closer to the crew.

They were just about to begin the scene where the main villain challenges Princess Gale and her companions when one of the walls of ice from the glacier exploded. Everyone was immediately taken aback and the crew exchanged confused glances.

"Is this some part of the special effects we weren't told about?" One of the actors asked allowed.

Kakashi quickly sprang into action seeing as though neither the crew nor the actors knew what was going on the explosion was definitely indicative of a threat. Despite the yells of the assistant director Kakashi had jumped in front of Yukie and the other actors, the rest of Team 7 quickly followed suit as three ninja appeared before them.

"Welcome to the Land of Snow" One man with long purple hair said and Kakashi's eyes widened in recognition.

"Greetings Princess Koyuki, I do hope you still have the hex crystal with you otherwise this journey would have been wasted" A woman with pink spiky hair said appearing a few meters away on a large piece of ice.

_Princess Koyuki? _Kakashi thought as he turned to stare at Yukie who looked equally as shocked.

"Kakashi Hatake this should be good if your reputation holds but I think you'll find you're not good enough against us" A larger man with a piece of metal covering his arm added.

"Everyone back to the ship! Manji formation you three and protect Yukie. No questions asked it's the mission goal" Kakashi instructed quickly and Team 7 nodded knowing better than to argue.

"Fubuki, Mizore I'll leave the princess to you as I have business to settle with my old friend Kakashi. Kill anyone who gets in the way" The man with purple hair instructed and Sakura tensed as she saw the other two ninja head straight for them.

Taking up a Manji formation around Yukie and two of the other actors who were in the scene Naruto grinned as he faced off against the larger man called Mizore. The man pulled out some sort of snow board from what Sakura could see and jumped on it. Naruto ran forward but had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by it. Sakura reached into her ninja pouch and threw three kunai at Mizore but he deflected them with the use of the armour he seemed to be wearing. Deciding on something bigger Sasuke threw his shuriken but the same result occurred.

"Ice Style Ice Blizzard!" Fubuki called out sending razor sharp icicles towards Sasuke in order to free up her teammate a little.

_Hmph ice meets fire. Let's see how that goes_, Sasuke thought as he performed the necessary hand signs. "Fire Style Fire Ball Jutsu!"

With both Sasuke and Naruto preoccupied Sakura decided it wasn't much good standing around waiting for the fight. Because of the precarious nature of the glacier Sakura decided it was time to get everyone off it whether they wanted to go or not.

The director took some convincing but he finally conceded to return to the ship as long as he got to keep filming the action. Sakura had agreed and finally the crew began to pack up and quickly ran as Sakura assisted them in carrying their equipment.

"Sakura-chan look out!" Naruto called loudly as Sakura was helping one of the camera men into the safety of the vessel.

Somehow a huge chunk of ice had come lose from the glacier and was flying through the air straight for the ship. Sakura looked up and saw Kakashi fighting the man with the purple hair destroying parts of the glacier around them. Gathering the chakra in her fist Sakura pulled her arm back and prayed the attack would be enough to cut through the ice.

The chakra punched ripped straight through the ice sending chards everywhere. There were immediate murmurs of appreciation from the crew and demands from Makino asking if the moment had been caught on camera. Sakura turned to them all and instructed them sharply to not leave the ship under any circumstances.

"Ice Prison Jutsu!" Fubuki called out and pressing her hand on the ground shot up great pillars of ice which followed Sasuke hoping to trap him in one. But Sasuke was too quick and shot a fire ball straight for her, Fubuki managed to shield herself with the jutsu.

Sakura ran from where the ship was docked back to Yukie and Sandayu who were the only two civilians remaining. Yukie had fallen to her knees and become completely unresponsive Sakura had no idea where Naruto and Mizore were but Yukie needed to get back onto the boat as soon as possible. Suddenly both ninja burst through a wall of ice and Sakura watched as Naruto struggled with the man, his face taking on fox like characteristics.

"Yukie, Sandayu both of you need to get back to the ship now" Sakura instructed reaching over to help Yukie to her feet but the woman flinched away, her eyes dead and cold as if she weren't really there.

"What's happened to her? Why is she like this?" Sakura demanded questioning Sandayu who was on his knees in front of her repeating the word princess over and over again.

"I won't go back to the Land of Snow!" Yukie screamed clutching her head in what seemed like agony.

Naruto turned around getting momentarily distracted by the outburst and Mizore gained the upper hand and flung him to the side. Using the metal contraption on his arm he shot out a clamp straight for Yukie but Sakura saw it coming and used her kunai knife to jam it, rendering the device useless.

"Sakura, Naruto" Sasuke called out running over towards them just as Yukie fainted. Sandayu gathered her in his arms and ran for the ship.

"Naruto make sure Yukie gets to the ship safely. Sasuke and I can handle this" Sakura instructed and the blond boy complied willingly.

"If you get Mizore out of the way long enough I can get a decent hit on the connecting portion of ice for this glacier. It should be enough to destroy some of it. Plus I think Kakashi is going to pull a big jutsu soon anyway, he's activated the Sharingan" Sakura muttered to Sasuke who nodded.

Sakura gathered her chakra again and Mizore noticed what she was doing and laughed. "Don't kid yourself girl this armour is chakra armour. A taijutsu style attack would have worked if you hadn't infused it with your chakra. The armour has a barrier around it and you can't touch me"

"Hn it's not meant for you. Fire Style Fire Ball Jutsu" Sasuke said and launched a fire ball from his mouth.

Mizore dived out of the way to avoid Sasuke's fire jutsu and Sakura took the opening running towards the wall of ice. Using her chakra infused attack Sakura smashed through the structure that connected the huge glacier together causing it to shake before splitting down the middle. Seeing what his student was trying to do Kakashi summoned a huge white whale to confuse his opponent and destroy the glacier trapping the Land of Snow ninja.

"Back to the ship you two" Kakashi yelled as Sasuke and Sakura ran for cover from the falling ice and jumped safely into the waiting ship with Kakashi on their tail.

"And cut!" Director Minato yelled as huge waves rocked the ship.

"I hope we got all of that" The assistant director said tiredly. 

* * *

><p>"Did you ever consider the extreme risk you were taking to bring her back here?" Kakashi asked Sandayu.<p>

They had pulled into dock the ship finally arriving at the main port of the Land of Snow. The film crew worked quickly setting up trailers and a mess hall for everyone to have something to eat. Soon after that Team 7 were summoned to the director's trailer where Sandayu, the assistant director and Minato sat wanting to talk about Yukie and the movie.

"I did but I considered every other possible way and this seemed the best to get the princess to return home" Sandayu explained looking ashamed.

"Man what's with this princess talk? She's only acting the part of Princess Gale so it's not like she really is one Sandayu" Naruto said happily resting his arms behind his head.

"Actually Naruto that's not entirely true" Kakashi said and Sasuke shot his sensei a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Yukie is just an alias. Our actual client is Koyuki Kazahana the heir to the throne here in the Land of Snow" Kakashi explained.

"I served the former leader of the clan Lord Sosetsu Kazahana. My home was a safe haven and a land of peace until his younger brother Doto took the throne by force and hired those snow ninja you just encountered. I feared for the princess's life but Kakashi saved her from the burning castle" Sandayu continued and bit back tears of happiness.

"I should have died that day and I wish I had. My heart is completely dead and I have no tears left to cry" Koyuki said leaning against the door way looking none too pleased.

"All those years and now finally it's happened. I waited for the time where I could escort you back to the Land of Snow princess" Sandayu said in an overjoyed voice and Sakura stared at him. The man either didn't realise Koyuki's attitude or didn't seem to care.

"So you've been using these films as a cover for your plan" Sakura observed and the assistant director gaped at Sandayu.

"Hey that's right you've been using us this whole time!" he yelled in a high pitched voice and Sasuke glared at him in annoyance.

"I am sorry but I had to do it for the people of the Land of Snow" Sandayu said and hurriedly got out of his chair and knelt in front of Koyuki. "Princess I beg of you, take up arms and lead you people against Doto to claim the throne that is rightfully yours"

"I could care less about my people. Doto isn't someone I can just get rid of, no one can. You're wasting your time with this" Koyuki said angrily.

"How can you say that to him, this man has given up a lifetime just to make his dream a reality and you tell him you don't care? Say it again and you'll be dealing with me lady!" Naruto declared standing up and slamming his fist on the conference table.

"As long as you have dreams you have hope and with that hope the future will come. It's the perfect theme for our new movie. It's evolving before our eyes!" Director Makino spoke for the first time since they'd gathered in the trailer.

"Of course filming with a real princess is an amazing opportunity! The buzz surrounding the release will be intense and even the making of will be a hit! It's a blockbuster for sure!" The assistant director exclaimed catching on quickly.

"But that Doto guy is tracking our every movement now which means we'll probably have to fight him" Sakura spoke up and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"Alright! The princess is going to return to the Land of Snow and show that creep who runs this place!" Naruto exclaimed throwing a fist in the air.

"Normally I would suggest heading back to the village to gather some reinforcements" Kakashi began but Sasuke jumped in. "Hn we're as fine as we can be. It's nothing the three of us can't handle"

Sakura smiled at Sasuke's response and Naruto grinned happily, Kakashi smirked a little but nodded at Sandayu who was overcome with gratitude. Despite the angrily comments from Koyuki the crew packed up the necessary equipment into trucks with centralised heating, beds and food. Setting out along an old road that Sandayu had pointed out everyone intended to travel through a huge tunnel to shoot the next scene on the other side. From there Sandayu was to take everyone to the hideout where the Land of Snow's people eagerly awaited his return with Princess Koyuki.

Sandayu had told them that a railroad had once run through the tunnel but now it had been completely covered in snow and was no longer in use. The trucks had finally arrived at the other side and Sakura was glad of the chance to get out and stretch her legs, boat travel was not her favourite way to get around.

"Ah Mr Makino we've got a big problem!" The assistant director said, bursting out from Koyuki's private truck.

"What on earth could it be now?"

"She's gone isn't she?" Naruto said as Kakashi and Team 7 approached the director.

"That's right she's up and vanished again!" The assistant director wheezed.

"With all this snow falling we only have a limited amount of time to shoot. Also the road to the secret hideout of my people might become impossible to pass if we're not fast enough. We need to find her" Sandayu said and looked at Kakashi expectantly.

"Right Sakura you take the western part of the forest down there. Sasuke the cliffs on the east side, Naruto travel north from here a little and I'll go south. You've all got headsets so radio in if you find her. We'll meet back here in an hour" Kakashi instructed.

"Right" All three ninja nodded and quickly disappeared.

Sakura jumped over the side of the ridge where the trucks were stationed and down into the forest. If Yukie/Koyuki had come this way she couldn't have gone very far, even with her ninja skills Sakura still struggled to remain upright. Landing in a large pile of snow Sakura got to her feet and rubbed her back in pain.

"Stupid slippery ice cliffs" Sakura grumbled and looked down at the crisp white snow which had hurt more than the fall should have. Huge pine trees obscured her view from above and Sakura huffed in annoyance.

_It would be so much easier if she were a ninja, that way I could at least track her chakra signal_. _Or maybe if she just stopped running away that would be good too._

Taking one step forward Sakura almost tripped over a fallen tree branch when she noticed a footprint in the snow followed by a series of others leading deeper into the forest. What sounded like a scream made Sakura sprint off in the direction of the footprints using her chakra for greater speed. Had Doto come to kidnap Koyuki or was it all three of those Snow ninja with their chakra armour again?

"Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke come in. I think Yukie I mean Koyuki is in trouble" Sakura radioed in over the headset but all she heard in return was static.

"That's great just great. Alone in the forest with this woman who continually runs away from what's probably the most important task in her life" Sakura mumbled but stopped abruptly when she saw the footprints had vanished completely and were replaced with two huge holes in the snow.

"Are you going to stand there looking at the ground or are you going to help me?" A voice asked and Sakura looked up to see Koyuki Kazahana sitting in the snow clutching at her ankle.

"Have a nice trip?" Sakura shot back not appreciating the attitude she was getting and walked over to where the woman sat.

"Let me see your ankle"

"No wait what are you doing?" Koyuki demanded as she watched Sakura's hand radiate a green colour.

"You've got a green fracture. I'm going to heal it for you" Sakura said and raised her hand to begin the procedure.

"What is that stuff?" Koyuki asked as she felt a warm sensation pooling around her injured foot as Sakura moved her hand around it diligently.

"Healing chakra" Sakura said feeling it best to keep the medical explanation short as she finished up and inspected the injured area.

"You can heal people with that? And I saw what you did before against those snow ninja. How old are you?" Koyuki questioned as Sakura rummaged around in her ninja pouch for her bandages.

"I'll be fifteen in a few weeks. Hold still I need to bandage your ankle"

"Where did you learn to do all of this stuff anyway?"

"I'm a ninja so I've been in training for years. The medical side of things is new to me but I'm getting there. My parents are ninja too so it was expected of me I guess" Sakura said and tied off the bandage.

"We need to go. Everyone is looking for you and if you lie in the snow any longer you're in danger of hypothermia. I'll carry you back, you shouldn't walk on that ankle" Standing up Sakura helped Koyuki to her feet before motioning for her to get on her back.

"You don't look very strong for a ninja" Koyuki said septically.

"And you don't look very graceful for a princess now let's go we've wasted enough time already" Sakura said and Koyuki reluctantly climbed onto her back.

Once again Sakura found herself thanking Tsunade for her rigorous strength and stamina. It wasn't so much that Koyuki was heavy so much as it was they had to take the long way around and back through the tunnel to avoid the slippery cliffs which were barely manageable for once person let alone two.

"Why do you and your friends keep coming after me? It's not like what I do should concern you" Koyuki asked, her voice reverberating off the tunnel.

"Because it's our mission to protect the client we're guarding even if it costs us our lives. So not matter how many times you run away we'll come and find you" Sakura said and readjusted herself to balance the weight better.

"What you do doesn't change anything. I'll act my part in this stupid movie but there is no way I'm taking the throne" Koyuki said sullenly.

"You need a reality check" Sakura mumbled and Koyuki glared at her pink haired protector.

A noise that sounded very much like a train whistle came from the very end of the tunnel and Sakura stopped listening carefully. Suddenly the snow melted away from underneath her boots to reveal a set of train tracks. Sakura could see the faint steam coming off the metal and knew that chakra must have been used to melt away the heavy ice.

"Is that a train?" Koyuki asked disbelieving.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me" Sakura said loudly as the lights from the train rounded the corner.

Smashing through a pillar of ice that was in the way the train came charging forward at a break neck pace. Sakura saw clearly there was no other choice but to run, tucking her arms under Koyuki's legs to hold her in place Sakura directed the chakra to her legs and feet and began to run as fast as she could.

"YOU'RE GOING TO TRY AND OUT RUN THIS TRAIN! ARE YOU CRAZY?" Koyuki yelled in her ear as Sakura tried to pick up the pace but was still too close to the train for comfort.

"WELL HAVE YOU GOT ANY BETTER IDEAS IT'S RUN OR DIE WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?" Sakura bellowed back and struggled to keep her balance and not fall over.

"**ARLIGHT LET'S MOVE A BIT FASTER OR WE'RE ROAD KILL CHA!" **Inner yelled running around in Sakura's head.

_Some of that freakishly weird strength you seem to have would be good right about now_, Sakura thought but no response came other than Inner's urgings to run faster.

Sakura could feel herself tiring out but she saw the light at the end of the tunnel, literally, and ran harder still completely determined not to end her life under the wheels of a train or Koyuki's for that matter. It almost seemed like a dream when Sakura jumped out of the tunnel throwing Koyuki into the snow as the train rushed passed them on the tracks. Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto had returned a few seconds before and quickly moved out of the way of the train but not before Kakashi saw his student and the princess.

The pink haired teen could feel herself falling somehow even though she was sure she wasn't dead. Sakura quickly realised that she had been thrown over the edge of the ridge from the impact of her own speed plus the force behind the train.

"Sasuke help Sakura!" Kakashi yelled fear gripping him as he watched his female student go over the edge of the ridge.

Sasuke ran quickly behind the train and jumped over the ridge ninja wire in hand. Catching Sakura just before she hit the ground Sasuke attached the ninja wire to a kunai knife and threw it at the train. Hearing the kunai catch on something sturdy Sasuke gave it a tug before sending the chakra to the bottoms of his feet and running up the ice cliff to the top of the ridge.

"Nice catch, thank you" Sakura said as she was able to stand up on her own and Sasuke coiled up the ninja wire. "Hn no problem" he smirked.

"It's been ten long years Koyuki. Show us that pretty face of yours" Doto said speaking into a microphone and emerging from the train, the Snow ninja Nadare beside him.

Koyuki sat in the snow completely consumed by fear as Doto stared at her but Sasuke and Sakura stepped in front of her and glared at the usurper.

"Those ninja seem like they're going to be a problem. Take care of them" Doto instructed Nadare.

"My pleasure" Nadare said and moved towards Sasuke and Sakura when suddenly a pile of huge forest tree logs came cascading down the hill behind the ridge and slammed into the train.

"There you have it men! Princess Koyuki has returned to us at last. This is the day you shall die Doto for your crimes! I Sandayu stand before you with fifty loyal warriors to the true Kazahana clan, we come to avenge our fallen leader Lord Sosetsu and have Princess Koyuki return to the throne as ruler of the Land of Snow!" Sandayu called out from the top of the hill dressed in ninja like clothing.

"Interesting, yet another way you have disappointed me Nadare. I thought you finished of the last of my dear brother's supporters" Doto said calmly.

"My apologies I'll get rid of them immediately" Nadare said angrily.

"No don't bother. There is little we can teach them and these ninja other than total destruction. Plus I have wanted to see how the new contraptions work against live targets" Doto smirked and signalled to a man within the train.

Suddenly the side compartments opened up to reveal metal squares with individual holes, men dressed in white cloaks climbed up to a turret with a handle and sat there waiting instruction. Sandayu and his men let out a war cry and charged down the hill to accomplish their goal, Doto nodded towards one of the men in the first turret who signalled to the rest. Sakura watched in horror as they began to turn the handles which fired off round after round of kunai knives at a rapid pace.

The clean white snow became red with blood as one after one the men fell to their knees with multiple kunai knives imbedded in their bodies. Only one man remained alive and that was Sandayu but Sakura knew he was close to death if not dying already purely from the blood loss. The last rounds of knives had been fired and were heading straight for him when Sasuke quickly opened his shuriken and threw it, deflecting the attack.

Attaching at paper bomb to his kunai knife Sasuke ducked behind a few mounds of built up snow and threw it at the train causing one of the open compartments to explode. Naruto who was hidden somewhere up on the hill threw another bomb causing an avalanche to start covering another portion of the train in snow.

Seeing this as her chance Sakura ran forward towards Sandayu who had collapsed on his back in the snow, still breathing. Kakashi threw another bomb as the train started up and began to speed off. Sakura examined Sandayu quickly and removed his breast plate but that only revealed to her the extent of the wounds and blood loss. There was nothing she could do as a medical ninja but watch this man die in front of her and Sakura was devastated.

Members of the crew began to trickle down the mountain horrified and visibly upset by what they had seen. Sakura healed as many of Sandayu's wounds as she could hoping it would at least give him some pain relief before he died. When Kakashi, Sasuke and Naruto came over Sakura explained the hopeless situation to them. Sandayu managed to speak saying he wanted to see Koyuki before he died and Team 7 helped carry him over on a makeshift wooden stretcher one of the crew had brought.

"You have always been our purest hope princess and now you must continue to believe in yourself as I and all the men here have. Just as you did when you were younger, please princess. Don't waste your tears on me" Sandayu said and then fell still. Sakura extended her fingers to his neck and pronounced him dead.

"Sandayu, you fool. I can't cry you have my eye drops. Now that you've seen what will happen to you if you stay here we're leaving" Koyuki said and began to walk back towards the trucks.

"Where are you going? This is your home what do you have to go back to huh? Now stay here and put your house in order!" Naruto demanded.

"You don't know anything at all. None of you do, I'm tired of this nonsense and I'm leaving this place!" Koyuki replied angrily.

"Hn are you going to chloroform her again?" Sasuke muttered in Sakura's ear and Sakura resisted the urge to laugh.

Seemingly out of nowhere a huge blimp appeared from below the ridge and a door opened to reveal Mizore who fired the hand-clamp from the contraption on his arm and grabbed Koyuki dragging her skyward and into the blimp.

Spying the ninja wire and kunai knife still attached protruding from Sasuke's ninja pouch Sakura quickly reached across and dug it out. Waving the wire in a circular motion to gain some speed the female ninja hooked the kunai onto the blimp and held onto the other end tightly as she was reefed into the air.

Sasuke quickly reached out and seized her arm causing Sakura to almost lose grip of the wire. Both ninja began to climb the wire and within a matter of seconds had snuck inside the blimp leaving Kakashi, Naruto and the rest of the film crew on the ground below. 

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><p>Hi everyone!<p>

I managed to get it all finished one day earlier for you seeing as I had some time left over so happy Tuesday instead of Wednesday ^^ I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and Sakura's involvement. I'm really excited about writing her and Sasuke's team up in the next chapter! :D

As always feel free to let me know what you thought by reviewing or if you want to make sure you don't miss an update then you can always follow or favourite the story/me. Thanks for the reviews last chapter I hope I managed to respond to you all and I'll see you again next Wednesday! xx


	34. Land of Snow Part 3

The Turning Point

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><p>"Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto said through gritted teeth as he maneuvered the rope into his mouth and created the necessary hand sign.<p>

"Hn the dobe is going to get us caught" Sasuke muttered in Sakura's ear as they watched their blond teammate ascend up the rope and onto the blimp with the help of his clones. Sakura blushed a little at Sasuke's proximity which didn't go unnoticed by the Uchiha boy who smirked.

Sasuke and Sakura had concealed themselves on the outside of the blimp and were searching for a way in when they saw a rope with a kunai knife attach itself to a nearby railing. Sakura caught sight of her teammate and sighed inwardly. She didn't begrudge Naruto following them she knew he wouldn't have done well being left behind but keeping him quiet so they weren't discovered was another matter entirely.

Before Sakura could alert Naruto to where she and Sasuke were pressed up against the wall of the blimp, Naruto had punched his way through one of the glass panes and jumped inside determined to find Koyuki.

"There's our way in" Sakura whispered to Sasuke and both followed Naruto inside the broken window.

Boxes covered a dimly lit corridor which twisted and turned towards an elevator which Sakura saw Naruto get into before the doors shut and the elevator dropped down. Sasuke felt like slapping himself in the head, he knew Naruto was more inclined to charge head first into a situation without giving it any tactical thought but an elevator where anyone could walk in at any time and not knowing where it could end up seemed completely stupid. Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and tried to comprehend the actions of his teammate.

"The elevator was a stupid move but Naruto's never been one for careful planning. Come on let's see if we can find some stairs or we'll lose him" Sakura said and moved quickly down the corridor with Sasuke in tow.

Looking to the left and right of the elevator Sakura spotted a small stairwell with the words 'Control Room' scratched on and a crudely drawn arrow pointing downward. Nudging Sasuke in the ribs Sakura pointed to the stairwell and motioned for him to be quiet as they moved to the right of the elevator.

A guard walked past and Sasuke all but shoved Sakura down into the stairwell to avoid being seen. Sakura hissed in pain as her tailbone connected with a hard concrete step but shook it off and stood up.

"Look over there I think that's how we can see the control room" Sakura said pointing at a dirty grate which had long slats able to see out into the room without being seen.

"Hn" Sasuke replied and Sakura walked over to it putting a hand to her mouth to remain quiet. Dropping to her knees she pushed her face forward against the grate so she could see out and motioned for Sasuke to do the same.

From their position Sasuke and Sakura could see Koyuki sitting opposite Doto on a plush lounge suite while guards busied themselves around them controlling the direction and travelling of the blimp. There still seemed to be no sign of Naruto.

"I am very glad to see you have the hex crystal with you Koyuki. After all I couldn't exactly access the Kazahana clan's treasure without it" Doto explained calmly.

"Treasure? What treasure?" Koyuki asked and Sasuke exchanged a glance with Sakura.

"Hn I thought that whole treasure thing was a legend"

"Apparently not" Sakura whispered and pressed her ear closer to the grate and straining to hear the conversation.

"Sosetsu must have hidden the clan's treasures somewhere so I searched for many years after I relieved your father of his duties. Deep within the Rainbow Glacier appears to be some sort of device which holds the hex crystal and unlocks the treasure" Doto said greedily.

"What will you do with the treasure?" Koyuki asked regarding Doto with a mixture of disdain and annoyance.

"The Kazahana fortune will allow this nation to attain military strength beyond the capability of the great Five Nations themselves"

"That's not going to happen!" Naruto exclaimed loudly and stood in front of the grate where Sasuke and Sakura were hiding.

"I can't see anything" Sakura hissed trying to see past Naruto's body.

"Dobe" Sasuke muttered in annoyance.

"How did you get in here?" Doto asked not seemingly at all perturbed by the intrusion.

"You should never underestimate a ninja!" Naruto began to say as ropes shot out from different parts of the control room and bound him tightly.

Mizore jumped down from the balcony above and hit Naruto with the metal cylinder on his arm. Opening up the elevator Fubuki revealed the hundreds of Naruto clones that had been hidden inside bracing for an attack.

"Doto I give you my apologies. We would have caught him earlier but he put up quite a fight" Nadare said bending at the knee out of respect.

"This kid's chakra is nothing to be looked over" Mizore said restraining Naruto and pulling him to his feet.

"We also have reason to believe the other ninja have stowed away, there are guards searching the blimp as we speak" Fubuki added.

"Kakashi?" Nadare asked sounding a little fearful.

"No the other two brats we fought on that glacier. The pink haired one and the black haired boy"

"It's nothing that can't be dealt with swiftly. They're just mere children caught up in a game of men. It would almost be sad if I actually cared" Doto said and nodded to one of the snow guards who opened a compartment and handed Nadare a circular contraption with a red and blue yin and yang symbol.

_This can't be good_, Sakura thought as Nadare pulled the device apart and an electric charge began to run through the two ends.

Mizore held Naruto up as Nadare pushed the device hard into Naruto's stomach and twisted to activate it. Octopus like tentacles shot out and attached themselves to his flesh causing an electric shock to course through him.

"Dammit Naruto" Sasuke hissed angrily as Naruto yelled in pain.

"What the hell are they doing to him?" Sakura wondered aloud hating herself for being unable to help her teammate.

"What is that thing?" Koyuki asked.

"The device is cleansing him of his chakra. It's a prototype we've been working on for some time; it will seal the chakra away behind a barrier and once it has the device cannot be broken or destroyed. It's completely debilitating for any ninja" Doto said and smirked as Naruto fell to the ground completely drained.

"Not much of a ninja now are you?" Nadare taunted.

"Enough of that prepare the other two prototypes so that I may give those two brats the same cleansing when we find them" Doto ordered and two of the snow guards picked up similar devices and disappeared.

"Hn we need to leave before they find us" Sasuke said glancing up the stairs towards the main corridor where heavy footsteps and the shouting of the snow ninja echoed.

"IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE? I KNOW THIS IS A FAKE WHERE IS THE REAL HEX CRYSTAL?" Doto yelled at Koyuki tossing her aside and breaking the hex crystal in his hand.

"I-I don't know. Unless, no wait it's impossible. Kakashi Hatake couldn't have-"

"Kakashi was never one not to use all the tricks in the book. Makes sense that he'd pull the switch" Nadare interrupted Koyuki.

"No matter I'm sure he'll make an appearance soon with the real one. He can't very well leave his three brats here to fend for themselves" Fubuki said and Mizore nodded.

"Very well take the princess and the brat to the hold. We'll transport them to the prison cells when we arrive" Doto instructed and Mizore grabbed Koyuki by the arm and dragged her towards the hold carrying Naruto with him.

"You two join the others and find those brats"

"Okay we need a plan and fast" Sakura said to Sasuke.

"HEY YOU DOWN THERE!" A voice calls down the stairwell alerting several others and they all run for the staircase.

"We should have left earlier when we had the chance. Now what?" Sakura asked her teammate as they got to their feet and began sprinting off in the opposite direction of the control room and down another flight of stairs.

"Disguise is the best plan. Then we can free the dobe and the actress when we get to wherever this guy is planning to go" Sasuke said running sharply to the right and threw a kunai into the chest of the closest ninja.

Sakura aimed a kick at another who had barely had just opened a door and stepped out into their path. "Cover me while I get some information out of him" Sakura said to Sasuke as she picked up the man on the floor and tightened her grip around his neck.

Sasuke took up his position in front of Sakura and reached into his ninja pouch throwing kunai which effortlessly hit their targets.

"What direction is the hold!?" Sakura hissed in the guard's ear holding her kunai to his throat. The man seemed to be made of stronger stuff because he simply glared at her and refused to say a word.

Sasuke sent one of the guards flying and noticed they were getting much closer and seemingly unafraid of anything Sasuke threw at them. Seeing one of them say something into a small microphone attached to his chest Sasuke quickly glanced at Sakura who was still struggling with the guard she had previously attacked.

"Hn Sakura move and deal with those guards. This is taking too long and we'll be surrounded if we don't get a move on" Sasuke instructed and moved Sakura aside and set the full force of his Sharingan on the man.

"Tell me where the hold is" Sasuke growled angrily.

Weakly the man raised his right hand and pointed towards the left past all of the guards and motioned at a small barely noticeable passageway. Sasuke huffed in annoyance they would somehow have to take out all of those guards without arousing suspicion and noise which was seemingly impossible. Then steal two guard uniforms and stay down in the hold in disguise until they reached what was presumably Doto's hideout.

"Sakura we need to get past them" Sasuke said after finishing the informant and taking off the snow garb he was wearing.

"Way ahead of you" Sakura replied having punched the last guard out cold. Sasuke smirked as his teammate grabbed the uniform off of the man and both ran for the small passage way to the hold.

"The radio signal came from down here! Oh man what happened?" A guard said as he stumbled across the bodies left behind and quickly radioed in for back-up.

"We need to move fast" Sakura said as they came to a small but open room where she immediately spotted Naruto and Koyuki in a small cell. Naruto still appeared to be unconscious by Koyuki looked at them in confusion.

"Hey stop there!" Two men who were guarding the prisoners lept to their feet but Sasuke ran forward and finished both of them in a second.

"Hn. These guards aren't very good" Sasuke observed pulling on the snow uniform he had stolen and dragging the bodies behind a few shipping crates.

"Well they're not exactly ninja by trade are they?" Sakura added pulling on her own uniform making sure to cover her distinct hair and using a visor she had also picked up covered her bright green eyes.

"What are you two doing?" Koyuki demanded from her cell but Sasuke's glare shut her up.

"We're trying to rescue you what does it look like?" Sakura hissed and Koyuki rolled her eyes and looked away.

"**How ungrateful can you be!? We're practically risking our lives for her!" **Inner decided unhappily.

Sakura agreed with Inner but had little time to question Koyuki about her attitude as the footsteps of the snow guards got closer and Sasuke motioned for Sakura to stand attentively to mimic the men they were disguised as.

"You two! Did you see two Leaf Ninja come through here? Scrawny runts and teammates of the kid prisoner" A group of guards burst into the hold and immediately began rummaging through the shipping crates.

"No one has come through here" Sasuke said trying to disguise his voice.

One of the guards approached Sakura and eyed her carefully. "Well what about you? Did you see those brats?"

Sakura made to answer but quickly realised her downfall would be her voice and they would be found out instantly.

"Uh don't get any closer than that, he has a highly contagious disease. It's already taken his voice" Sasuke said noticing Sakura's panicked glance at him and quickly covered for her. Sakura nodded quickly and coughed for emphasis.

Most of the guards took a few lengthy steps back and muttered to themselves anxiously.

"Disgusting no one they keep you two down here away from the rest of us" One of the guards announced and the rest laughed loudly in agreement.

"Be sure to radio in if you see anything and don't take your eyes off the prisoners we know how easily distracted you get" Another taunted and shoved Sakura roughly taking her off balance which caused her to fall to the ground.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed violently as the guards continued through the exit to the hold. Resisting the urge to kill each one of them he reached down and helped Sakura stand up.

"Thanks for the cover I was sure even if I tried to make my voice lower it would still rouse suspicion. That fall hurt more than it should have" Sakura said pressing her thumbs into the bruised tailbone which had been damaged further.

"Hn" Sasuke said.

"How exactly do you plan to get us out of this cage and out of a blimp in mid-air?" Koyuki spoke and gestured to Naruto who was still out cold.

"We're going to wait for them to imprison you when we land and we'll go from there" Sakura answered and examined Naruto through the bars of the cage for any major injuries. "He's fine medically speaking but his chakra is completely drained because of that device"

"I don't know why you're bothering. You're just a bunch of kids and Doto is more powerful than you, you all should have left this place when you had the chance" Koyuki said icily.

"It wasn't our choice to be here and babysitting you is a waste of valuable training time but it's our mission. Besides it'd be a pain explaining to the dobe and Kakashi if we let you die" Sasuke said stoutly and fixed Koyuki with his infamous glare.

Sulking quietly the princess turned her back to the two ninja who exchanged looks of annoyance. Above their heads a speaker crackled to life.

"Attention all crew prepare to disembark" 

* * *

><p>Doto's huge fortress stood in place of the Kazahana castle that had burned to the ground all those years ago. Sasuke and Sakura had become separated from Naruto and Koyuki when the blimp had landed. All they were able to overhear was that the prisoners had been taken down to the cells at the very bottom floor. Due to Sakura's 'contagious illness' she and Sasuke were stationed a few floors above but fortuitously they happened to be near the central room for the snow guards which also contained the key to unlock the prison cells.<p>

Sakura made quick work of the guards inside using the remainder of her chloroform, Sasuke found the key they required and both ninja made it down to the cells in record time without alerting suspicion. Naruto's cell sat opposite Koyuki's and Sakura immediately noticed that instead of being restrained by the chains on the ceiling Naruto was on the floor. Koyuki said nothing and Sakura put the key into the lock and entered the cell immediately fearing Naruto had been badly hurt from the device Doto had used on him.

"Take this!" Naruto yelled jumping up from his position on the floor and aiming a punch at Sakura who was still dressed as a snow guard.

Blocking the punch successfully Sakura tried to open her mouth to speak but Naruto turned and kicked at her hard. Avoiding the attack successfully Sakura dragged off her visor and head cloak shooting Naruto a withering look.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing down here?" Naruto asked noticing Sasuke leaning against the cell with his hands in his pockets.

"We're here to bust you out what does it look like!?" Sakura exclaimed pulling the rest of the uniform off.

"Hn dobe you need to be more observant and work on your chakra reading skills" Sasuke added and Naruto glared at him.

"Huh, looks like you'd already had a plan to get out though" Sakura observed bending down to pick up a small file which had been used to meticulously cut through the metal chains.

"Never underestimate a ninja! That was in my mouth the whole time and with no chakra man did I struggle!" Naruto exclaimed, Sasuke grimaced and Sakura dropped the file as though it were on fire.

"Right well we need to get out of here before those guards come looking for us" Sakura said and tossed the cell key to Sasuke who unlocked Koyuki's cell.

"Hn we'll need to take the elevator she can't jump like we can" Sasuke said nodding to Koyuki. Seizing the princess enthusiastically by the wrist Naruto led the way to a small elevator.

Reaching the floor Sasuke and Sakura had been stationed at all three ninja looked around cautiously before running towards what they thought might be the exit. Passing the central guard room Sakura was pleased to see the guards were still completely unconscious.

"We've got company" Naruto announced seeing a rope shoot up from the floor under them and attached itself to the balcony.

A single guard appeared in front of them and Naruto immediately let out a war cry like sound and ran forward intent on destroying the man. Holding his hands up in defence the man blocked the attacks effortlessly.

"Naruto it's me just hold it for a second would you?" Kakashi said ditching the guard uniform he had been wearing and caught Naruto's leg mid kick.

"Kakashi-sensei? What are you doing here and where are the film crew?" Sakura asked.

"To be honest I don't really know where they got to" Kakashi said rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly "Sandayu told me of the location of Doto's fortress before he died so I thought this would be the best place to look for you all. Glad to see you're alright Princess Koyuki"

Koyuki fixed him with an accusing look "You stole my hex crystal and didn't think to tell me? I could have been killed no thanks to you"

_At least she seems to be taking this seriously now. I wonder if Naruto had a role to play in that, it would have taken a lot of physical stamina and guts to break through those chains without chakra_, Sakura thought.

"I did and I'm sorry but I thought this was what he'd want" Kakashi explained and handed over the real hex crystal which Koyuki promptly tied around her neck.

"We need to go I hear more guards coming" Sasuke interjected his eyes trained on the floor above.

"How do we even get out of this place? It's a complete maze in here!" Naruto said catching the ninja pouch Kakashi threw at him after he had lost all of his equipment climbing up the blimp.

"The layout is similar to my father's old house. I think I know a way out follow me" Koyuki announced suddenly and began to run back the way they had come. Kakashi nodded and Team 7 followed the princess through a maze of corridors and passage ways.

Reaching a vast room covered in darkness Koyuki lead them inside still running fast and the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stood up. Something clearly wasn't right and her suspicions were confirmed by the light that activated automatically to reveal Doto sitting on a throne-like chair.

"You!" Naruto exclaimed angrily but Doto ignored him "Well done Koyuki" he said smirking at the actress/princess.

"Wait stop!" Kakashi yelled as Koyuki ran to Doto, Sasuke charged forward to stop her but the appearance of the three snow ninja caused him to halt his movements.

Reaching Doto, Koyuki promptly undid the clasp of the necklace the hex crystal was on and handed it over to her uncle.

"Why would you do something like this? You're handing your clan's fortune and your own throne to him on a silver platter!" Naruto demanded and Koyuki scoffed. "Please I'm an actress you shouldn't have been surprised by this at all"

"I think a round of applause is in order as we've just witnessed another brilliant performance from the great Yukie Fugikaze" Doto laughed clapping slowly.

Within seconds Koyuki had drawn out the blade Sandayu had used during his attack on Doto which had the princess's acting eye drops attached to it. Stooping forward Koyuki thrust the blade into Doto's right side and twisted with the clear intent to cause fatal damage.

Enraged Doto's hand closed around Koyuki's throat and squeezed violently. _Given impact of the blade he should be bleeding by now_, Sakura though alarmed at the scene before her. Koyuki had managed to push Doto to the edge of the high platform where he had been sitting. Losing consciousness due to a lack of oxygen Koyuki gave one final push and threw herself and Doto over the edge.

"Koyuki!" Naruto yelled and ran past the snow ninja to get to the princess. Sakura quickly followed him determined to see if there was anything she could do medically to save her. Before Naruto could even lay a hand on the princess Doto had struck him back hard causing Sakura to almost lose balance as she caught her teammate.

"It's laughable almost that she thought she could kill me and with this toy of a blade" Doto said and removed his robe to reveal black dark plated armour. "That's right it's chakra armour and the latest of our prototypes"

Sakura let out a small breath of relief when Koyuki stirred awake and began coughing violently. "Let me examine her she's injured" Sakura said and walked forward calmly showing her intent to help Koyuki.

Doto's closed hand hit her cheek just as hard as it had hit Naruto's and Sakura groaned in pain as she hit the ground. Sasuke was at her side in an instant to help her up resisting the urge not to use his Chidori knowing it would be useless against the armour. Doto laughed at the pink haired girl who glared viciously back at him as she healed herself.

Picking Koyuki up and ignoring her futile attempts at struggling Doto attached a cable to the ceiling and shot out through the roof. Determined as ever Naruto threw a rope from his ninja pouch to Koyuki who caught it and the blond boy quickly followed Doto out of the fortress. The roof began coming down in pieces and a huge explosion accompanied by huge flames from the floor below suggested Kakashi had left a few paper bombs rigged up to oil tankards.

"Well we'd love to stay and chat but I'm afraid we're needed elsewhere" Nadare said and the three snow ninja disappeared from the fortress.

"Sakura! Sasuke! Stay on Fubuki and Mizore, track their chakra signals and stop them. From there head to the Rainbow Glacier and help Naruto. I have some unfinished business to take care of!" Kakashi yelled above the noise of the falling debris and immediately took off in the direction Nadare had vanished.

"Sakura have you got their signals?" Sasuke asked as he and Sakura ran on top of the collapsing roof of the fortress after hauling themselves out using their ninja wire and kunai knives.

"It's faint but I can still feel it. South west into the forest about forty metres ahead of us, they're moving quickly towards the Rainbow Glacier, Sandayu said it was south from the Kazahana palace where the fortress was built over" Sakura explained leading Sasuke in the direction of Fubuki and Mizore.

"I've lost the signal" Sakura announced stopping in the middle of the forest. Sasuke huffed and drew his cloak around his shoulders; he had forgotten how cold it was outside.

"Now what do we do?" Sasuke asked as Sakura shivered involuntarily, it had gotten dark and the temperature had dropped dramatically.

"I'd suggest looking behind you!" Fubuki called out and immediately a huge wall of ice surrounded the two genin.

"They were behind us and you didn't sense it?" Sasuke asked sarcastically and Sakura glared "Oh shove it Sasuke this weather isn't exactly helping me I'm too busy trying to keep warm"

"Hn so are you going to break through or am I going to melt it down?"

"I'll do it, it'll be quicker" Sakura said teasingly and Sasuke rolled his eyes, in a matter of seconds the ice prison shattered and the two ninja found themselves alone again in the forest.

"Hn we don't have time for these games" Sasuke said throwing a web of ninja wire between two trees as a trap.

"Right they're getting closer, about twenty degrees on the right. The position you've got is good, you know what to do right?" Sakura asked having already caught onto the plan Sasuke had been formulating in his head.

"Hn" Sasuke said and disappeared.

Mizore appeared first on the snowboard he had used when they had been on the glacier and Sakura ran straight for him the paper bombs she needed hidden skilfully in her hand. Being careful not to get close enough so that he could land a blow Sakura planted the paper bombs on him while blocking each one of the close range combat attacks Mizore threw at her. Sakura quickly jumped back a few metres to see Fubuki within range of the ninja wire.

Pulling out a kunai with a paper bomb attached Sakura ignited it and threw it on the ground in front of Mizore, the blast from the explosion rocketed around the forest sweeping Fubuki in its path and throwing her right into the web of ninja wire. For a moment it seemed as though she was trapped completely but a pair of mechanical wings folded out from her back and she quickly avoided capture.

"Do you realise who you brats are dealing with? It's going to take a lot more than a simple attack like that to stop us" Fubuki boasted not seeing Sasuke behind her.

"I guess you'd be right then" he said grabbing her from behind "Lion's Barrage!"

Sasuke's attack rendered Fubuki completely disabled as she fell to the snow covered floor; Mizore stumbled trying to take in clean air as the smoke from Sakura's paper bomb assault cleared. Sakura and Sasuke watched as Fubuki fell onto Mizore and to their surprise both snow ninja died instantly when a huge purple light erupted from their chakra armour killing them both on contact.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked and Sakura shrugged but approached the two ninja carefully.

Examining their bodies Sakura knew they were dead but her attention was drawn towards the armor itself and the dimming purple light on each of their suits which had been cracked on contact. Sasuke joined his teammate and looked at the snow ninja's bodies.

"Their armor it can't come into contact with another person's armor otherwise it's crack and destroyed" Sakura said shaking a little from the cold.

Sasuke shrugged out of his cloak and draped it around Sakura while squatting down to get a closer look at the armor. Sakura glanced at Sasuke curiously and felt flattered but she knew the cold would be too bitter for Sasuke to handle without a cloak of his own.

"Hn keep it on. You'll get hypothermia and you should know about the effects of that" Sasuke said standing up trying to avoid Sakura's gaze.

"Right. Well we need to get to the Rainbow Glacier and help Naruto" Sakura said and stooped down to prize the purple stone from the chakra absorption component of the armour which glowed brightly in her hand.

"Hn that's going to help us?"

"Exactly" 

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><p>Hi guys!<p>

Hope you enjoyed the chapter it was a little bit shorter than I'd intended but I'll be finishing off the Land of Snow arch next week and then we move to the Land of Tea! Please make sure to review/favourite/follow this story if you like it and I'll respond to as many as I can ^^

I've had a couple of questions about this so I thought I'd throw it in. Sakura's age I've time lapsed because I felt more comfortable writing for her as a fifteen year old girl rather than 13/14 as in the manga. Just kind of flows with the maturity and all, so for reference the rest of Rookie 9 are consequently around that age give or take.

Thanks again for your support and I'll see you all next Wednesday


	35. Land of Snow Part 4

The Turning Point

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><p>Arriving at the famed Rainbow Glacier Sakura thought it was an extreme miracle that neither she nor Sasuke had suffered severe frostbite or hypothermia. After insisting that Sasuke take his cloak back so that neither of them would completely freeze to death, Sakura led the way towards where they thought the Rainbow Glacier was.<p>

Getting lost a few times seemed inevitable and Sasuke cursed the frozen wasteland which inhibited their vision and muscle movement. Standing at the very edge of the seven glaciers Sakura and Sasuke could see Doto placing the hex crystal into a mechanism in the centre of the glaciers which promptly activated and began to light up the ground in the shape of a snowflake. The glaciers began to reflect different colours and Koyuki watched them completely transfixed.

"I don't see Naruto" Sakura muttered to Sasuke as both ninja crouched behind a smaller glacier so as not to be seen.

Steam began to burst out from hidden pipes around each of the glaciers which had stopped reflecting colours. The snow began to melt quickly and water began to flow out of crevices and formed a strong stream.

"What's going on? Why is it warm all of a sudden?" Sasuke asked shrugging out of his cloak still keeping a close eye on Doto.

"I don't know it's really strange" Sakura replied removing her own cloak.

"What is this? The Kazahana clan's treasure is nothing but a heat generator!?" Doto said enraged and seized Koyuki by the throat.

Digging into her ninja pouch Sakura coiled her hand around her kunai and poison senbon needle. If she could get close enough and find a spot his armour didn't cover Sakura knew Doto's chakra absorption techniques wouldn't protect him against a fast spreading poison in the bloodstream.

"Hn wait I see the dobe" Sasuke said pointing in the direction of a small snowmobile which carried their teammate and the director of the Princess Gale movies.

"Koyuki!" Naruto called out, jumping off the fast moving vehicle and running straight for the princess.

_This can't be good_, Sakura thought and Doto let out an angry cry at the appearance of Naruto, he quickly threw Koyuki on the ground and made a quick series of hand signals, "Ice Style Black Dragon Blizzard!"

Throwing his fist forward Doto released a black coloured blur which quickly took on the form of a dragon. The body seemed to stretch on for metres as the creature obtained bright red eyes and sharp fangs. Setting its sights on Naruto the dragon flew forward and slammed into the blond boy smacking him into the air with the back of its tail. Upon contact the jutsu quickly dissolved and the dragon disappeared. From their position Sakura and Sasuke saw Naruto fall from high into the air to land face first on the hard ground covered in a thick layer of ice.

But just as quick as he had been knocked down Naruto was back up and looking determinedly at Koyuki hell bent on saving her from Doto. The chakra absorption contraption that had been placed on his stomach began to seep out orange coloured chakra which amazed Sasuke and Sakura. Doto too had noticed that his device seemed inadequate which only fuelled his hatred of the obnoxious blond boy. Taking a few tentative steps forward Doto quickly broke into a run straight for Naruto who was still regaining his balance and slammed his fist downwards. In a replication of one of Sakura's punches Doto hit Naruto under the ice and into the freezing cold water below.

"He can't stay down there for too long or he'll freeze to death, we need to use that part from the chakra armour of the snow ninja's to crack Doto's" Sakura whispered to Sasuke and pulled the purple object out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Hn right. I'll use the Chidori" Sasuke said taking purple chakra piece and activating the Chidori in his right hand, the sound of birds chirping echoing off the glaciers.

"I'm going to see if I can get Naruto out. Koyuki seems okay over there" Sakura called to him as Sasuke set off running towards Doto tearing up the ice on the ground.

Sakura ran towards the edge of the water where Naruto had been thrown in and panicked when she realised how deep it actually was. _I can't even see the bottom and with all his clothes on who knows how fast he's sinking_, Sakura thought worriedly and half considered jumping into the water. Peering closer into the murky depths the pink haired teen's thoughts brightened a little when she noticed a glowing orange light. Naruto's chakra had fully broken through the barrier of the chakra absorption device.

"CHIDORI!" Sasuke yelled pushing the purple chakra stone closer towards Doto's armour seal and adding his right hand bearing the Chidori for extra force.

The seal began to fracture under the pressure and Sasuke pushed harder knowing it was almost fully broken. Sakura quickly realised that because both his hands were occupied Sasuke was rendered defenceless as all of his energy was directed into chakra balancing the Chidori and getting it close enough to break the armours seal. Doto had obviously come to a similar conclusion himself as he extended his arm backwards and hit Sasuke across the face throwing him backwards.

Before he could hit the ice glacier behind her Sakura caught Sasuke and tried to steady herself for a non-critical landing. Rolling into the glacier seemed like a much better option than smashing straight into it and aside from a few cuts and bruises both came out unscathed. Sakura groaned a little and opened her eyes to see Doto striding towards Koyuki angrily cursing her father and the Kazahana clan for deceiving him.

Sakura moved fluidly towards the usurper and the princess stepping in front of Koyuki and grabbing Doto's wrist in a painfully tight grip to prevent him from striking her.

"Problem?" Sakura asked smirking at Doto who glared at her viciously.

"Out of my way brat" Doto demanded and attempted to strike Sakura with his other hand but Sakura reefed his wrist backwards pulling his whole body over to one side. Reaching for her senbon needle laced with poison Sakura had a clear shot for a main artery which would transfer the deadly poison around his body in minutes.

Unexpectedly Doto managed a powerful leg sweep knocking Sakura off her feet and onto the ground, the senbon needle falling into the icy water. Before she could reach for any other combatant against the tyrannical man, Doto had pinned her down with a forceful throat grab and began constricting Sakura's airway.

"Stop it! Leave her alone!" Koyuki cried hysterically but Doto chuckled manically.

Shakily Sakura moved her hand on top of Doto's wrist and attempted to wrestle his hand from her throat but her body decided to put all her energy into trying to gain gulps of oxygen and Sakura's hand went limp as she began gasping for air.

Suddenly the ground began rumbling loudly and the water began to turn a bright orange colour. "What is it now?" Doto asked relinquishing his grip on Sakura's throat as he turned his head to investigate.

Seizing her chance Sakura pushed Doto off her completely and scrambled away from him. Before he could even register what had happened Sakura had gathered the chakra into her right fist and decided to pay Doto back for the prominent bruises she now had around her throat.

"Back off!" Sakura said angrily and drove her fist into the side of his face.

Naruto burst out of the water surrounded by hundreds of shadow clones intent on finishing Doto off himself. Sakura quickly motioned for Koyuki to follow her back to where Sasuke was. Having recovered from Sakura's attack Doto had created his dragon jutsu again except this time there were two. The dragons swept over the Rainbow Glacier taking out large chunks of ice from the ground and then began destroying Naruto's shadow clones by morphing into a large twister and ripping the clones out of the sky.

Sakura, Sasuke and Koyuki shielded themselves from the strong wind which ripped across the frozen ground. When the jutsu had cleared Naruto remained standing with another clone beside him and a ball of chakra resting between himself and the clone.

_What jutsu is that? _Sasuke thought as Naruto and his clone began to run towards Doto, the sun which had now begun to rise hit the glaciers and reflected the light making it seem as though the spinning chakra tails of Naruto's jutsu were the colours of the rainbow. Doto struck at one of the Naruto's in front of him but it disappeared promptly leaving the real Naruto standing and holding the full ball of chakra in his hand.

"Take this, Rasengan!" Shoving his new jutsu into the breastplate of Doto's chakra armour which held the chakra absorptions seal, Naruto broke through it completely and the force of the blast sent Doto catapulting into one of the Rainbow Glaciers.

The ice fractured and broke instantly when Doto's body fell to the ground damaged beyond repair. Immediately the whole area around the Rainbow Glacier looked like a scene from an idyllic spring day filled with running water and flowery meadows. The film crew made happy exclamations about making the Princess Gale movie in 3D and a scene from Koyuki's childhood with her father was triggered to play in the middle of the glaciers.

Naruto grinned and lay back on the grass watching the scene and Koyuki's tearful reaction with tired joy. Kakashi too seemed pleased by the outcome of the mission having settled his score with Nadare and arriving just in time to see his squad working together to defeat Doto. Sakura and Sasuke sat side by side as Sasuke examined the bruises on Sakura's throat gingerly and tried to keep his thoughts from straying to Naruto's growing power.

Sakura preferred to stare at the ground instead of watching the scene playing as it reminded her too much of her own parents and their situation, healing the bruises around her throat Sakura was grateful that they had completed the mission successfully and that Koyuki seemed to have learned something from the experience. 

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><p>A few days later and a message to surrounding lords and leaders were dispatched to announce the coronation ceremony of princess Koyuki Kazahana as the rightful queen of the Land of Snow. The film crew decided to stay and film for the ending of the movie which meant Team 7 were invited to the coronation as honoured guests. The ceremony went off without a hitch and Sakura was pleased that the Land of Snow had a ruler who would invest everything she had into the country.<p>

"Thank you all for what you did for me, especially you Naruto you taught me not to give up on my dreams which is why I'm still going to be an actress" Koyuki explained at the official lunch in the newly built Kazahana palace.

"Are you sure you can manage running a country and being an actress?" Kakashi asked.

"Sure I mean why not it's my dream and I'm doing it for Sandayu as well. I hope he would have been happy with the way thing turned out" Koyuki replied looking a little sad.

"Don't worry princess, Sandayu would have been happy you made the right choice" Naruto said grinning and Koyuki smiled, "You're right, I do have to meet some of the leaders who have travelled here but please enjoy yourselves"

Spying the banquet table Sakura left her team and went to help herself to some food. The traditional dishes from the Land of Snow varied and Sakura happily picked up a plate and began spooning interesting looking components onto her plate. Taking her food Sakura began to walk amongst the different lords and leaders hearing bits and pieces of conversations, some complained about the catering and ceremony while others talked of business plans and alliances. Stopping to help a small child who had dropped his snow cone Sakura couldn't help but overhear a conversation between two lords.

"It's horrendous I tell you it seems like I get more of them sneaking across the borders every day. Missing ninja are become a serious problem for a lot of countries Lord Gorou"

"I'm afraid I'm all too aware of the issue Lord Osamu. You should have seen the commotion this woman made in my palace two days before I travelled here" Lord Gorou replied shoving a pastry into his face.

The talk of a woman who Sakura presumed was a missing ninja had her interest. The child long gone with a new snow cone Sakura busied herself at the dessert table lingering close enough to hear the rest of the conversation.

"She was so instant practically demanding that I help her find her husband. Disappeared mysteriously according to her, aliens I suspect" Lord Gorou mocked and Lord Osamu snickered as both moved beside Sakura to access the dessert table.

"What did you do? Osamu asked cutting himself a generous portion of cake.

"I sent the impatient bitch away; who did she think she was demanding something from a lord? From the Leaf Village too I recognised the headband. There wasn't much to her other than her green eyes and light red hair. Why are all the ugly females' ninja?" Gorou laughed and swallowed a caramel tart in one mouthful.

Sakura stabbed her fork into the wooden table and stared at her untouched food in horror. It didn't take a genius to work out that this Lord Gorou was talking about her mother. After all how many other female ninja were there with green eyes and red hair from the leaf village who were trying to find their missing husbands? This lord had refused to help her distressed mother who was clearly still very much alive and still searching for her husband. Sakura shook with anger and tried to focus her breathing so as not to do anything irrational.

"I hear the Land of Tea takes more missing ninja than anyone these days. Must be their corrupt leadership system trying to win favours with rouge ninja, but I hear most of it turns into gang warfare" Lord Osamu commented absentmindedly.

"Well she can go there for all I care. If she's lucky maybe a gang boss will take pity on her and make her his play thing. That'll make her forget about her 'abducted' husband" Gorou replied and let out a brutish laugh along with Lord Osamu.

Sakura could feel herself losing control and for once she didn't care, she was sick and tired of having to keep herself in check and not let her emotions get the better of her. The stress and confusion of the Chunin exams and the complications with Itachi Uchiha and the power of her Inner were overwhelming on their own. But to hear this lord bragging about refusing her mother who had risked everything for her family and then spoke about her in the most derogatory manner sent Sakura over the edge.

Shoving Lord Osamu aside roughly Sakura seized Lord Gorou by the collar of his ridiculously decorated robes and brought him to eye level with her.

"My mother came to you for help to find my father and you refused her. Then you call her a bitch and a gang boss's play thing right in front of me. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shove my kunai into your chest, cut a huge hole and rip out all of your vital organs huh?"

"W-what are you talking about you psychotic girl!? P-put me down do you know who you're dealing with!?" Lord Gorou sputtered and looked around frantically for some help.

"Well it seems like I only have one option then" Sakura said calmly and reached for her kunai knife not sparing a glance at the shocked crowd that had formed around her. Lord Gorou began to yell and struggle as Sakura held the knife to his chest to begin the incision.

"**Let's get rid of him completely. He thinks he can talk about our mother like that and live to tell the tale again. How is he going to do that without his major organs?" **Inner encouraged happily and Sakura nodded.

"Sakura what the hell are you doing!?" Kakashi demanded as he, Sasuke and Naruto pushed through the crowd led by Lord Osamu.

Kakashi quickly disabled Sakura's hold on Lord Gorou who fell to the ground and wheezed loudly as Lord Osamu helped him. Sakura lunged for him again in a moment of hysteria but Naruto caught her by the wrist and banded his arms securely around her waist preventing her from doing it again. Sasuke looked at her through cautious eyes and Kakashi frowned at his student.

"Mind telling me why you've attacked a lord who has a strong alliance with the Leaf Village?"

"It's because she's a complete savage and surely a disgrace to the ninja of your village. I'd call for her immediate dismissal!" Lord Osamu said to Kakashi angrily.

"I'm not a savage and you best keep your mouth shut unless you want the same promise I made your disgusting friend. Kakashi-sensei that man refused to give my mother the aid she needed to find my father, he then insulted her honour as a ninja and a woman all in front of my face" Sakura explained trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"But Sakura-chan your parents are back in Konoha remember your mother had that bad cold and you had to see her before we left?" Naruto reminded her and Sakura let out a defeated sigh.

"My father never came back from his A ranked mission, his squad said he had disappeared into this air and he was still missing when we left for the Land of Waves. When I came back from the second round of the Chunin Exams my mother had left a note telling me she had gone to find him and that I was to conceal what had happened from everyone for as long as possible"

"I see why you're angry now believe it!" Naruto said and glared at Lord Gorou who straightened himself up with the help of Lord Osamu.

"Sakura you should have said something" Kakashi began to lecture her but Sakura shook her head vigorously "I would never go against my parents' wishes sensei but I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore"

"Well I for one am glad I refused to help that disgusting woman especially knowing her daughter is a complete savage with no regard for social standing or respect of any kind" Lord Gorou sneered at Sakura as he adjusted his ridiculous robes.

Sakura growled loudly and lunged for the lord again but Naruto tightened his grip around her waist and succeeded in restraining her. "Sakura-chan it's not worth it!" he tried to reassure her as Sakura struggled against his hold and considered using her monster strength to break free.

"It is Naruto it is so worth it for whatever I may lose you didn't hear what he said. I thought both my parents were dead and my mother is alive and he refused to help her when she needed it! Who knows if my father is still alive and now I don't know where either of them are!" Sakura said feeling tears of frustration gather in her eyes.

"Right I'm going to rip this guy to shreds right here!" Naruto said angrily releasing Sakura and pushing her behind him.

"Naruto stop all of you need to cool off and remember why you're here!" Kakashi said feeling pity for Sakura but trying to keep a handle on the situation.

"Hn he's right dobe" Sasuke added and Sakura looked at him in shock. _He's standing up for that pigheaded man? You've got to be kidding me how could he do that after everything I confided in him?_

"You're too slow. I'll handle it"

Before Kakashi could intervene Sasuke thrust his arm forward twisting his wrist and broke Lord Gorou's nose. The man let out a painful shriek and fell to the floor clutching at the appendage which had now begun spurting out blood. Sakura smiled gratefully at Sasuke who smirked and gave a curt nod in reply. Kakashi looked at his team unhappily and hit Naruto on the head to stop him from laughing.

"I won't forget the three of you" Lord Gorou managed to say before he was whisked away by Lord Osamu to find someone who could fix his nose. Sasuke shrugged at the threat stuffing his hands in his pockets, Naruto resisted the urge to laugh again and Sakura rolled her eyes. The crowd began to disperse and Kakashi overheard their mutterings about 'reckless Leaf Villagers' and 'irresponsible ninja' and sighed.

"Sakura why didn't you report this to the Hokage? You could have gotten into serious trouble for withholding information like that?"

"I'm not going to betray my family because of my ninja duty. I know exactly what will happen, if my parents don't return to the village within a certain time frame they'll be classified as dead. No search parties or anything people will just forget about them like they don't matter. But they matter to me and they've done so much for our village! But they'll be classified as missing ninja and a disgrace" Sakura explained feeling annoyed with the whole situation.

"I understand Sakura but you shouldn't have done what you did. Neither should have Sasuke or Naruto. Lord Gorou is a very powerful man for all his stupidity and that one action alone could potential put our alliance in danger. You need to keep your emotions in check" Kakashi said seriously and Team 7 shifted uncomfortably.

"But on a lighter note nice hit Sasuke and it's good to see the three of you have connected well as a team. I'm proud of you all"

Sakura began to laugh as did Naruto and even Sasuke chuckled a little. Kakashi informed them that they were due to depart the next day with the film crew back to Konoha and encouraged them to enjoy the rest of the lunch. Before Sakura could follow her teammates she felt Kakashi's hand on her shoulder.

"Sakura you do realise I'm now obliged to inform the Hokage of everything you have told me"

"Has there been a decision on who will replace the Third?" Sakura asked nervously.

"This I think you'll be pleased to hear. I don't think she'll be lenient with you but at least you can explain to her what happened and maybe she'll understand like I have" Kakashi said smiling under his mask.

"She? Who is it?"

"Lady Tsunade"

"L-Lady Tsunade is the new Hokage?" Sakura asked wide eyed.

"Yes she is the news came through yesterday actually. I think she'll do a fantastic job I mean she was the Third's student and one of the Sanin. I thought you'd be pleased Sakura considering she gave you all that valuable assistance with your experience at the hospital" Kakashi said.

"Yes of course I'm pleased, Lady Tsunade will hopefully understand my position. If you don't mind I'd like to tell her what happened myself before anyone else can" Sakura said and smiled a little.

"I thought you would want that but just remember that if you don't tell her when we return I'll be forced to" Kakashi said and moved towards a pretty looking serving girl over near the buffet table.

_I am so dead; Tsunade-sama is going to kill me_

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><p>Hi guys!<p>

I'm sorry about the late update my computer has been having some problems and I think I'll need to get a new one soon. *Sigh* Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter and that concludes the Land of Snow Arch! Next chapter will sort of act as a bridging between the Land of Tea mission so I have a lot of ideas planned for that!

As always please review/follow/favourite if you like anything you've seen ^^ I'll try and respond to any questions you have provided you have an account and I can actually message you back :/ Anyway I'll see you all next Wednesday [if my laptop doesn't die!] xxx


	36. The New Hokage and a Birthday Surprise

The Turning Point

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><p>When the boat pulled into dock at a port outside the Leaf Village Sakura began to feel apprehensive. The journey back to the village was a short one but Kakashi still seemed displeased with their actions during the coronation so there was minimal conversation. Kakashi departed as soon as they entered the village gates to report the success of their mission.<p>

"You have until this evening to report all that has happened to Lady Tsunade before I tell her myself Sakura. I would like all of you to seriously consider your actions at the official lunch and think about how you could have handled yourselves and your emotions a lot better"

After the familiar cloud of white smoke dispersed Team 7 trudged towards the centre of Konoha. "I don't get what his problem is! We were acting as a team and sticking up for one of our own!" Naruto demanded kicking a stone hard.

"Hn why are you complaining dobe I'm the one that punched him" Sasuke said.

"Shut up teme I would have hit him too but you just happened to be closer!" Naruto retorted.

"Enough both of you stop it please. It was my fault I acted to rashly and let my emotions get the better of me. Kakashi-sensei is disappointed in us because we failed to see the diplomacy issues and I thought my own were more important" Sakura interrupted feeling annoyed with herself.

"Sakura-chan you had a right to be angry, that pompous lord refused to help your mother find your father!" Naruto declared.

"Not at the expense of the mission Naruto. It's a ninja's job to keep their personal life out of things and I messed up. I'll see you two later on I need to go home and clean up before visiting the Hokage" Sakura replied quietly and her two teammates exchanged looks.

"Hn Sakura" Sasuke began but Sakura shook her head promptly, "It's fine Sasuke I just need to be by myself for a while before I see Lady Tsunade and explain"

"Poor Sakura-chan and her family" Naruto said to Sasuke as they watched their teammate leave. Suddenly an idea popped into the blond boy's head which made him grin like a fox and turn to Sasuke expectantly.

"Go away dobe" Sasuke said monotone and turned on his heel towards the remains of the Uchiha estate.

"But teme you haven't even heard my great idea to cheer Sakura-chan up!" Naruto whined and trailed after Sasuke.

"Whatever it is you can do it on your own"

"But it would mean a lot more to Sakura if you were involved in it!" Naruto exclaimed happily and Sasuke glared at him.

"How many times do you want to hear the word no?"

"But teme it would totally earn you some bonus points and let's face it you need all the help you can get! I've seen the way Sakura-chan looks at you but I think you'd move further if you actually showed you cared about her or at least that's what happens in those dramas!" Naruto babbled and Sasuke stopped walking.

"What do you mean the way she looks at me?"

Naruto smiled widely and raised his eyebrows at the Uchiha boy before motioning for him to follow.

It felt as though someone had sucked all the life out of Sakura as she walked in a zombie like trance around her childhood home unpacking from the mission, taking what she thought would be a relaxing shower, changing and then leaving the house to walk the few minutes to the Hokage Tower.

It had seemed Tsunade had taken some of the more 'incompetent' nurses from the hospital and put them to work for her in administration and Sakura waved and smiled to the ex-nurses she knew. Knowing she had come to see Tsunade, no one batted an eyelash when Sakura walked past the reception desk and began climbing the stairs of the tower to the Hokage's office.

_At least Ami doesn't have her internship here anymore, Tsunade-sama must have heard what an awful person she was and fired her for it_, Sakura thought and smiled in amusement as she continued up the seemingly endless staircase.

"Sakura it's wonderful to see you again! How was the mission and what are you doing here?" Shizune asked exiting a room and spotting the head nurse.

"Hi Shizune it's good to see you too, the mission was interesting to say the least but I actually have to talk to Lady Tsunade about a few things that went on. Why are you here?" Sakura asked injecting happiness into her voice, trying to change the subject.

"Well Lady Tsunade is Hokage now and I'm having a bit of trouble keeping her on task sadly. I guess she thinks she just do no paperwork and drink sake and everything will be okay. But there is a lot to do and I'm also in charge of the hospital too! So it's a lot of work trying to help the Hokage and run the hospital myself which is why I'm so glad you're back!" Shizune ranted sounding very stressed out.

Sakura nodded and smiled as the continued climbing the staircase. "You know she's training you up to take over from me Sakura. Lady Tsunade wants you to run Konoha Hospital!" Shizune exclaimed but then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Oh no I don't think I was supposed to say anything. Well this is me anyway; the Hokage's office is just around the corner from here! Please don't tell Tsunade I told you!" Shizune said half pleadingly before quickly disappearing into another room.

Sakura didn't know what to feel, Tsunade wanted her to eventually run the hospital which seemed like great news but what would she say after hearing all that had happened in the Land of Snow?

_Running the hospital is a full time job, what about my life as a ninja out in battle and going off on missions. I'd still want to do that and not to mention my parents, I promised myself when I'd deemed that I was strong enough that I'd go and find them, dead or alive. _

All these thoughts ran through Sakura's head as she pushed open the door to the Hokage's office and stepped inside. The office was located at the very top of the tower giving whoever was inside a perfect view of the sprawling streets of Konoha filled with many people for the middle of the day trading.

Sakura quickly located her teacher asleep on the huge desk facing away from the vast window and balcony. Knowing how much Tsunade valued her sleep Sakura was extremely hesitant to wake her and looked to the door with a silent plea for escape. Moving her head from her arms Tsunade groaned and Sakura decided that it was now or never. Walking over as quietly as she could Sakura extended her arm and tapped her sensei on the arm three times.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU PEOPLE I'LL HAVE THE PAPER WORK DONE WHEN I DAMN WELL FEEL LIKE IT AND NO I DON'T CARE WHAT THE COUNCIL HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT!" Tsunade yelled sitting up groggily and peering at Sakura through half-lidded eyes.

"Oh it's just you Sakura. I see you've returned from the Land of Snow, how was the fabled Princess Gale?" Tsunade said in a much calmer voice recognising her student. Sitting up properly she pulled a piece of paper stuck to her face off and placed it in the huge pile next to her desk.

"Turns out she's a real princess, Koyuki Kazahana and she's now ruling as the queen of the Land of Snow as was her birth right" Sakura said hardly fazed by Tsunade's outburst, she had grown accustomed to it after many long days spent with her teacher training and in the hospital.

"Well that must have been convenient for you all then" Tsunade replied as Sakura took a seat in front of her.

"Kakashi told me you're the new Hokage now, congratulations!" Sakura said in a light hearted tone hoping to delay the truth telling.

"I don't know if there is much to celebrate yet. This job is a ridiculous amount of paper work more than the hospital ever was but Shizune has been helpful apart from the fact that she's hidden most of my sake. The council were very insistent that it was to be either me or Jiraiya to take up the position; Jiraiya said no of course and practically insisted I was the best candidate. I guess I owe Sarutobi this much" Tsunade explained.

Sakura nodded and tugged on her finger tips nervously as Tsunade fixed her with a somewhat glassy look. "Kakashi already came to report the mission logistics to me and mentioned a discrepancy between your team and some allied feudal lords which I'm led to believe you started?"

"My parents are missing ninja, my father is registered but my mother is not. My father didn't return from his A ranked mission and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance were suspicious to my mother and me. So she left asking me to hide the truth for as long as possible which I did because I wanted to remain loyal to my family" Sakura blurted out and Tsunade simply looked at her indicating she should continue.

"At the time I let my emotions get the better of me Lord Gorou was approached by my mother and beseeched for help in finding my father. He refused her and then began to insult her in a derogatory manor boastfully in front of his friend Lord Osamu. So I um threatened to rip out his internal organs…" Sakura trailed off and avoided eye contact with her sensei.

A throaty chuckle echoed around the room and Sakura's head shot up to see her sensei's body shaking with laugher. Sakura cracked a small smile which eventually turned into her own giggling which worked in harmony with Tsunade's. Wiping at her eyes Tsunade fixed her student with an amused look.

"I've hated that Lord Gorou from the moment I met him when I was travelling through his country collecting rare medicinal herbs. It's a shame his alliance is needed for the manufacturing of ninja weapons, they are the best in all the lands"

"So you're not angry with me for what I did?" Sakura asked knowing it was a long shot.

"Not angry just disappointed. I've told you about keeping your emotions under control but I guess it's one thing for me to say it but I do remember what it was like to be your age. No one expects perfection you're still learning, next time think logically before you act and as always you need to consider the implications of your actions for your teammates and your village" Tsunade chastised and Sakura nodded.

"However your withholding of information from the Leaf Village as a loyally sworn ninja is serious" Tsunade continued becoming serious and Sakura swallowed hard. "I did it to protect my family"

"Did you think the village couldn't help? Or that they just wouldn't try?" Tsunade asked and Sakura nodded slowly.

"Also I was worried my parents would be disgraced. Deserting your village especially after serving as such honourable ninja for many years people would forget that in a heartbeat and focus on the fact that they're traitors and that's not who they are. They would never betray the Leaf Village" The pink haired teen elaborated.

"You're going to go after them eventually, it seems like the only logical step and I know you to be a rational type of person Sakura" Tsunade said after some time.

"I don't have a choice they're my family and I'm their only child. I don't want to leave and be a disgrace to the village but I'll do whatever it takes to find them alive or dead. Every day that I stay here and do nothing is another day where their lives could be in danger if they already aren't" Sakura replied exasperated.

"If you leave I'll have no choice but to make you a missing ninja as well you realise that?" Tsunade asked her voice hard. Sakura's eyes widened but she nodded nonetheless completely determined.

"I don't want you to leave Sakura. You have so much potential as a medical ninja and I'd hate for you to waste it as I'm sure your parents would" Tsunade began and Sakura opened her mouth to protest but the blond woman held up her hand. Sakura scowled but waited for her sensei to continue.

"Which is why I'm willing to make you a deal. As soon as our meeting here is over I will assemble a team of ANBU Black Ops with the sole purpose of finding both your mother and father and bringing them back alive or dead" Tsunade offered.

"And what do I have to do in return?" Sakura asked sceptically.

"Promise me as your sensei and your Hokage that you won't leave this village until the ANBU team returns with the results of the search. If they are still unable to bring back any information at all you may leave the village but you will be officially classified as missing and people will interpret that as they will"

"The ANBU Black Ops team has a month Tsunade-sama. That is all I can wait before I leave, but I promise I will stay until they return" Sakura said readily.

"Fine a month it is. But there is still the matter of your punishment for concealing the information in the first place" Tsunade smirked at her student and pointed towards the huge stack of paperwork sitting next to her desk.

"That will take days to complete" Sakura groaned and Tsunade looked at her sharply "You got off lightly Sakura and if you start now instead of complaining you'll be done a lot quicker. I expect you to return to your head nurse duties tomorrow under Shizune and resume our training"

Grabbing her bag Tsunade stood up and motioned for Sakura to sit down at her desk. Sakura resisted the urge to growl in frustration as she picked up the first sheet of paperwork and began silently filling it in.

"If you need any assistance talk to reception and I expect it all finished by tomorrow afternoon" Tsunade said cheerily and as soon as she left Sakura buried her head in her arms and muffled her screams of frustration.

"The Cherry Blossom Festival" Sasuke read off the flyer and looked at Naruto blankly.

"Come on Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan's birthday is going to be on the last day of the festival and she was named after the cherry blossom tree so it all fits perfectly" Naruto explained his eyes shining with excitement.

"Hn stop babbling dobe" Sasuke said feeling especially annoyed with his teammate's sudden outburst of event planning.

"Don't be such a mood killer teme this is why someone like Sakura-chan doesn't want to be around you. How can she be near someone who's a total buzzkill when she's so nice and upbeat and happy all the time" Naruto countered.

"Hn" Sasuke offered and turned his attention back to the flyer. Naruto had decided that given their recent discovery of Sakura's situation with her parents that it was up to them as her teammates to take her mind off it all.

"We'll invite Ino and that lazy boy Shikamaru and Choji I'd-Eat-My-Own-Head-If-I-Could Akimichi. Plus Hinata and her squad even though Kiba is a downright idiot and then Lee and Neji Hyuga and Tenten" Naruto said listing off the Rookie 9, Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the mention of Lee's invite but decided not to voice is opinion on the matter.

"Hn will Sakura even go for this? A surprise party at a festival with the Rookie 9 for her birthday how do we know she even wants to celebrate" Sasuke asked handing the flyer back to Naruto as they continued down the busy streets of Konoha.

"I guess you're right Sasuke-teme she might need some convincing. Knowing Sakura-chan on the night of the whole thing she'll probably be working late at that hospital which is where you come in!" Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke immediately felt uncomfortable.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"You're going to invite Sakura-chan to the festival! Pick her up and dress nicely for the occasion teme that's important. It's her birthday so your training outfit won't do maybe a suit and a nice tie! When you arrive at the festival you'll bring her to the place where we'll all be hiding ready to surprise her!" Naruto rambled and Sasuke stiffened immediately.

"No I'm not doing that. I'll show up for the festival but I'm not wearing a suit and inviting her myself"

"What's wrong, sound too much like a date huh Sasuke?" Naruto prodded.

"Hn it's not a date I'm not asking her out" Sasuke shot back quickly.

"Exactly so you have nothing to worry about! It's just two friends dressing up for a nice trip to the Cherry Blossom Festival to celebrate one friend's birthday. If you explain it to Sakura-chan like that I'm sure she won't think anything more of it" Naruto said happily.

"Hn"

"That's the spirit teme!"

* * *

><p>The first week back from the Land of Snow mission drew to a close and Sakura worked around the clock. Her duties as head nurse of Konoha Hospital seemed to have increased exponentially to the point where Sakura was the first one in the door of the hospital in the morning and the last one to leave at night. Her training with Tsunade still focused on stamina and fitness as well as continual work on her chakra reserve. Knowing Sakura wanted to find her parents desperately, Tsunade geared their training towards the need for stamina and a strong chakra reserve if Sakura were to leave the village and make it on her own while looking for her parents.<p>

Training with Team 7 remained the same as it always had except Sakura now got to spar more frequently and even against Sasuke at times although those matches were always short lived. Sakura continually observed the leading doctors in surgery to obtain more information on correct medical procedures and detection of illness or disease in a person early. Shizune ran the hospital with a sweet but firm disposition but still made time to educate Sakura on the correct use of poisons and worked with her on developing antidotes as well as general medical revision. Because of her busy schedule Sakura had little time to relax at home which meant little time to dwell on the silence of the house due to its missing participants.

The following week blended seamlessly into the first and Sakura barely noticed that the whole of her birthday had gone by. She had only realised when one of the nurses wished her a happy birthday as she was leaving for the night. Sakura gaped at her before her eyes flicked to the calendar on the wall which displayed the date proudly.

_There it is then March 28__th__ I spent my whole birthday working in the hospital and training with Tsunade. I don't know what's more depressing the fact that I didn't know it was my birthday or the fact that I don't care the day is gone and I've done nothing to celebrate_, Sakura thought ruefully as she sat at the reception desk alone in the hospital filling out discharged forms.

A tap on the hospital door pulled Sakura from her mundane task and she looked up to see Uchiha Sasuke standing outside the hospital.

In a suit

Holding a bouquet of flowers

Looking extremely embarrassed

Curiously Sakura approached the main entrance and unlocked the door. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

"Hn Sakura aren't you supposed to be finished now?" Sasuke asked ignoring her question.

"I have some discharge forms to fill out and then I'm going home. Why are you in a suit and who are the flowers for? Do you have a date?" Sakura poked Sasuke in the shoulder as she asked each question praying the last one wouldn't happen in the next million years.

"Hn Happy Birthday" Sasuke relented thrusting the flowers under her nose. Sakura smiled a little and took them gently inhaling the sweet scent.

"Thank you Sasuke but you really didn't have to get me flowers. I'm not sure I'm really in the mood to celebrate my birthday this year. In fact I didn't even know it was today until one of the nurses mentioned it" Sakura said walking back into the reception area as Sasuke followed her.

"I'll wait until you've finished the forms and then we're going out" Sasuke said. Sakura peered at him curiously and Sasuke avoided her eye stuffing his hands into the pockets of his formal pants.

"Is this some sort of practical joke? Is Naruto behind this again, it's not a clone jutsu because I can't sense his chakra but whatever this is I'm really not in the mood for it. Thank you for the flowers Sasuke but I think I'll just go home and sleep" Sakura said quickly gathering her things and brushing past Sasuke.

"Hn wait Sakura, it's not a practical joke do you honestly think I'd be involved with something stupid the dobe created? I'm here to take you to the Cherry Blossom Festival for your birthday as friends" Sasuke said remembering to include the last part although he didn't really know if that was what they were.

Sakura flinched a little upon hearing the word friends and didn't know why she did. Thankfully Sasuke hadn't noticed and Sakura smiled at her teammate. "Well okay then but the suit really? A little over dressed for a festival don't you think?"

"Hn shut up. We're going to your place first so you can get dressed up too. You're kidding yourself if you think I'm going to be the only one walking around like this" Sasuke smirked.

"Okay I'm going jeez" Sakura replied laughing and putting her hands up in a mock surrender.

After a quick stop at her home where Sakura quickly changed into one of the dresses she had saved from her wardrobe clean out and a pair of comfortable flats, she and Sasuke walked the few streets between her house and the opened parklands where the Cherry Blossom Festival was being held.

"**AHHH WE'RE ON A DATE WITH SASUKE FREAKING UCHIHA" **Inner squealed crazily thinking more than admirable thoughts about Sasuke in his suit. Sakura kept a lid on those thoughts but stole a few looks at her teammate. Sasuke did look very nice in a suit that was for certain but Sakura couldn't stop wondering about this impromptu birthday outing, was this a date?

After what had happened between them on the boat in the Land of Snow was this the next step? If this was the next step what exactly was the first? Was there even any need for a step at all? Sakura shook her head and tried to clear her mind, she was reading into the gesture way too much. If Sasuke said it was a birthday outing as friends then that's what it is and Sakura was determined try and enjoy herself.

_She's not saying anything. Is she uncomfortable? Does she think this is a date? Stupid stupid dobe and his stupid plans I'm only doing this because I want to take her mind off her family problems. They couldn't have just done a simple dinner out could they? _Sasuke thought feeling annoyed and out of his depth.

"It's a nice night, thank you for suggesting this Sasuke. It's probably not good for me to be working as much as I am. Besides I think I could do with some fun" Sakura said and smiled warmly at Sasuke.

"Hn it's fine Sakura. You look nice tonight" Sasuke said before he could stop himself but felt his Uchiha pride swell when he saw his teammate blush lightly.

"Thank you Sasuke, you too" Sakura replied trying to cool her cheeks as Sasuke smirked.

The entrance to the festival had finally come into view with many cherry blossom trees in full bloom lit up with fairy lights draped elegantly through the tree branches and around the trunks. Stalls were set up selling sweet foods and drinks as well as places for carnival style games and rides for children.

Sasuke wandered among the stalls checking his watch every so often and searching for the place Naruto had mentioned where he and the rest of Rookie 9 were going to be hiding waiting to jump out and surprise Sakura. Looking over his shoulder Sasuke made sure Sakura was following and frowned when he noticed she had stopped to look at a stall filled with giant stuffed teddy bears.

"Sakura let's go" Sasuke said walking back to his teammate and Sakura turned to him and frowned.

"Really? But I want to try and play for one of these stuffed bears. The stall owner says he makes them all by hand!" Already making up her mind Sakura had handed over a few dollars and the man running the stall gave her 4 small rubber balls.

"You one set of those pins over there and you win a bear. Simple as that" The man said and Sakura grinned preparing for her first throw.

Due to her extensive target practice as a ninja throwing kunai with Tsunade and Kakashi, Sakura knew she was a fairly decent shot. So when the pins fell the first time around she wasn't at all surprised. Grabbing a hold of the enormous bear Sakura smiled and asked Sasuke where he wanted to go next. Sasuke grabbed her hand gently and led her through the crowded carnival style area glancing frequently at his watch.

"Do you have somewhere else to be Sasuke?" Sakura asked sounding a little hurt. Sasuke shook his head once and continued to lead her out of the busy festival grounds to the spot near the river where they were supposed to have lunch the day Itachi returned to the village. Sitting down hurriedly on the closest bench Sasuke tried to appear normal and kept his eyes open for the ridiculously signal the dobe had come up with.

Sakura adjusted her dress and placed the bear next to her on the ground. Whether he knew it or not Sasuke had brought her to a spot where most couples who had attended the festival were now located. Seeing a boy and a girl a little older than themselves making out in public made Sakura feel uncomfortable, she was not an advocate of ridiculously over the top PDA. Sasuke eventually seemed to cotton on to their surroundings and hated Naruto even more.

_Where the hell is he anyway? How long am I supposed to sit here with Sakura around all of these couples on dates? _Sasuke thought and went to check his watch again when his teammate grabbed his wrist.

"Sasuke seriously what's with all the watch checking? If you have to be somewhere we can go it's not a big deal" Sakura said quietly.

"Hn it's not that" Sasuke began unsure of how to continue without ruining the surprise.

"Oh would you look at that Daisuke how sweet is that couple! Remember when I first held your hand you were so nervous I thought you were going to throw up!" A woman remarked loudly passing by Sasuke and Sakura with her husband.

Sasuke pulled his wrist out of Sakura's grasp and Sakura looked away awkwardly at the thought of being mistaken as a couple on a date. That was happening a lot lately where people would mistake herself and Sasuke for being a couple.

"Sasuke is this a date?" Sakura asked deciding she was sick of playing mind games and wanted a straight answer from the Uchiha prodigy.

"No didn't I say we were going out for your birthday as friends" Sasuke stated internally recovering from the shock of the blunt question.

"Right. Well what about what happened in the Land of Snow when I was on watch?" Sakura pressed and Sasuke frowned in annoyance.

"You're asking too many questions Sakura. I seem to recall you saying that we were teammates and friends. That's all"

"Well what about all those weird signals you've been sending me and the fact that everyone who sees us together mistakes us for a couple?" Sakura continued wanting to sort out their position.

"Hn signals? Sakura you sound just like those annoying girls who follow me around everywhere and how exactly can I control what other people think when they see us?" Sasuke snapped feeling frustrated that Naruto still had not arrived and the topic of conversation making him uncomfortable.

"So there's nothing then. I'm just imagining it all"

"Hn"

"Fine then" Sakura said bluntly.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto called out from behind a bush and the rest of Rookie 9 including Lee's team jumped out from their hiding places.

"What the hell is this Forehead!? So much for Sasuke not being a priority anymore you're basically throwing yourself at him and demanding that he's wanting to be more than friends with you when he clearly isn't" Ino demanded having heard everything that was said along with the other genin.

"What are you all doing here?" Sakura asked feeling humiliated knowing that they'd heard everything.

"It's a surprise party for you Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme and I organised everything for you to help take your mind off the problems you've been having and your work stress!" Naruto exclaimed happily but stopped when he noticed Sakura looking uncomfortable and embarrassed.

"Oh Sakura we heard your youthful confession to Sasuke! I am sorry for your heartbreak truly I am! The Uchiha suitor was not worth your heart!" Lee exclaimed and Sakura felt angry immediately.

"Shut up Lee you're making an uncomfortable situation even worse" Tenten hissed and slapped a hand over the spandex ninja's mouth.

"I didn't confess to him I just-"

Yeah right Forehead we all heard it!" Ino declared even louder and Shikamaru sighed. "Shut up would you woman? The situation is troublesome enough"

"I-I think we should all go and enjoy the festival don't you?" Hinata said trying to take the spotlight off Sakura. Shino nodded in agreement.

"Uchiha you really have no idea how to let women down gently do you? You could have saved poor Sakura here all the embarrassment by just nipping that thing in the bud when it started" Kiba chimed in and Sasuke growled at him.

"Hmm yum yum pork ribs and special sauce. Huh, oh right Happy Birthday Sakura! What did I miss?" Choji asked walking up to the group with his face full of pork ribs.

"It seems Sakura perceived Sasuke had an intention of being more than friends with her but Sasuke has denied any such intention leaving Sakura embarrassed because her affection was one-sided and we all happened to overhear the awkward outcome" Neji summed up concisely but hissed in pain when Tenten smacked him hard on the arm. "How did I end up with two idiots like you for teammates?"

"I think I'm just going to leave" Sakura said quietly to Naruto and picked up the bear she had won herself as the Rookie 9 chattered amongst themselves.

"What but Sakura-chan you can't go the whole party is for you! We even brought you a cake! Don't worry about Sasuke-teme he's just being a bastard like always" Naruto tried to reassure his teammate and shot Sasuke a dirty look over his shoulder.

"I'm tired Naruto I did a long day at the hospital without even realising it was my birthday and now I've been humiliated in front of all my friends who now probably see me as a weak Sasuke fan-girl again even though that's not the case at all" Sakura explained.

"Hn Sakura you don't have to leave" Sasuke said but Sakura ignored him. "You've made your position perfectly clear so let me make mine. That was a lapse in my concentration and clearly I was looking at things that weren't there. I have my answer now and I know exactly where I stand with you"

Pushing past the rest of Rookie 9 Sakura held the bear tightly in her arms as she walked away from what could possibly be described as the worst birthday she had ever had.

* * *

><p>Hi everyone!<p>

Late again with the update this week sadly but at least it happened! I hope you enjoyed this filler chapter even though it was a lot of angst I think…. Anyway next chapter will start the Land of Tea Arch which should be a lot of fun to write. Thanks to all you wonderful reviewers/favouriters/followers for your ongoing support – much appreciated! ^^ I'll see you all again next week!


	37. Land of Tea

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>Sakura kept up a steady pace trying very hard not to stomp her feet like a five year old throwing a tantrum. She walked briskly through the dark streets of Konoha trying to put as much distance between herself and the Cherry Blossom Festival where Sasuke and the rest of Rookie 9 were.<p>

"I don't even see why I should feel embarrassed! It's not like I got on my knees and declared my true love for him I just wanted to know where we stood" Sakura grumbled digging her nails into the bear at her side glaring at its smiling face.

She had her answer now Sasuke clearly wanted nothing to do with her in the way she thought and he played her for a fool. Sakura decided that was what she was most embarrassed about, how willingly she absorbed all the attention and connected the apparently obvious dots in her head which turned out to be nothing more than an over active imagination.

_Some birthday this turned out to be now everyone thinks I confessed when I didn't really and I'm once again seen as a Sasuke obsessed weirdo, _Sakura lamented and had the sudden urge to turn around and throw her bear into the river.

She knew it probably wasn't the most mature attitude to have on her fifteenth birthday but none of that seemed to matter much. Sakura wanted to run home and pack her things and leave the village to find her parents; she needed her mother and father to talk to. Where were they when she needed them?

"Sakura would you stop?" Sasuke asked appearing from nowhere, his long legs matching pace with her brisk walk easily.

"Sasuke stop acting like you ran a marathon to find me you've been sulking up in the trees for the past ten minutes probably trying to decide if I'll kill you or not if you try and talk to me" Sakura replied shortly and continued walking.

"Sakura you couldn't kill me" Sasuke said monotone.

"Oh right of course because I'm so madly in love with you and it'll tear me to pieces. I'm completely obsessed and my abilities count for nothing but being your personal cheerleader" Sakura shot back sarcastically.

"That's not what I-"

"Just leave it Sasuke hasn't tonight been enough embarrassment for me? You don't need to keep going" Sakura snapped turning around and jabbing Sasuke in the chest with her finger in frustration.

"Train with me" Sasuke said calmly grabbing a hold of Sakura's finger to prevent her incessant poking.

"What?" Sakura asked, thrown by the odd suggestion.

"You're angry and upset. You should train to let it all out and you suggested we train together" Sasuke elaborated a smirk playing on his lips.

"It's the middle of the night"

"Hn so? The training fields don't have a closing time besides it's a full moon"

"Fine but only because I really want to hit something and if I have to wait any longer I might rip the head off this homemade bear. Training ground in ten minutes?" Sakura asked.

"Ten minutes" Sasuke agreed shoving his hands into his pockets and was gone in an instant.

"No Chidori!" Sakura yelled in protest as she quickly dodged the attack which lit up the entire training field.

"That didn't stop you" Sasuke said dissolving the jutsu and nodding towards the huge craters that littered the ground.

"Fair point" Sakura said dropping back into a fighting stance "Again?"

"Hn no I think we're done. Two hours seems long enough" Sasuke replied sitting comfortably on the ground with his back against a tree. Sakura stood hesitantly off to one side picking up her kunai embedded in the ground.

"You were right though I do feel better" Sakura chuckled and Sasuke smirked relaxing his body against the trunk of the tree.

"We need to talk about what happened at the festival Sakura"

Sakura stopped picking up her weapons and looked at Sasuke who had his gaze trained on her seriously. Motioning for her to join him Sakura sighed and took a few small steps before sitting next to the Uchiha survivor.

"There is nothing to talk about Sasuke you answered my question perfectly in front of all our academy friends remember? I was hurt and humiliated and that's how we came here" Sakura recited the narrative trying to push aside how painful it was as she swallowed cool water from her canteen.

"You make it sound like I don't care" Sasuke frowned.

"Well you don't you told me as much yourself" Sakura replied and looked to her teammate for conformation.

"I don't really understand what's happening" Sasuke began uncomfortably "But I do care more than the dobe and Kakashi"

Sakura furrowed her brow in confusion, "So you're saying that you do care that you hurt me in front of our friends but you care more than Kakashi and Naruto? Sasuke I'm confused"

"Look Sakura what I'm trying to say is that I care about you. More as a simple teammate and friend and it's frustrating and confusing but I do" Sasuke explained running a hand through his hair and sighing loudly.

"I see so I was right all along" Sakura said teasingly.

"Hn" Sasuke replied and for a while neither one of them spoke.

"If it helps I feel the same" Sakura said quietly and Sasuke smirked, "I already knew that, you said it in front of everyone"

"Shut up that wasn't a confession" Sakura replied hotly and drummed her fingers on her thigh nervously, "So what happens now?"

"Itachi is my focus" Sasuke replied simply, Sakura sighed having half expected the answer in the first place. The drumming on her thigh picked up a frantic pace until Sasuke huffed and grabbed a hold of her hand and entwined it with his.

"Itachi is my focus" Sasuke repeated "and I don't really understand my feelings towards you fully but I'm trying to ask if you'll wait"

"Sasuke I don't know if I can do that. I don't want to be that weak little girl again waiting around for you to notice me and pay attention to me. The Hokage has given me a month's required stay in the village while other ninja look for my parents, if a month passes and there is no result I am leaving" Sakura explained squeezing his hand lightly.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment looking at nothing in particular. "Will you wait for me for as long as you feel you can?"

Sakura studied her teammate carefully and nodded slowly. "Okay Sasuke I'll wait for as long as I feel I can wait for you. Does that mean you'll wait for me too if someday things change?"

"Yes" Sasuke answered simply and adjusted their position so that his arm was around Sakura's shoulders and her head lay on his chest.

"This is really unlike you to be so easily affectionate" Sakura said supressing a smile.

"Hn I don't know what I'm doing really it's strange for me" Sasuke observed. Sakura laughed quietly "You're doing well it's all very relaxing and natural"

"I don't want this to be known publically" Sasuke said bluntly moving his arm to Sakura's waist and unconsciously tightening his hold.

"I thought you might say something like that but I agree with you" Sakura said stifling a yawn thinking about how relaxed she finally felt and how she wanted to sleep.

"Go to sleep Sakura" Sasuke mumbled noticing straight away. Sakura felt her eyes begin to droop and vaguely registered what felt like Sasuke's lips in her hair.

"We should have more training sessions together" Sakura whispered before her eyes closed and she could hear Sasuke's quiet chuckles in her ear.

* * *

><p>Shizune knew something was up with Sakura when she walked into the hospital grinning like an idiot. Sakura was always known for her cheerful personality at work but it seemed like something had happened to kick things up a few notches. She happily dealt with even the most difficult patients and definitely didn't look as tired as she had been for the past few days. Speaking with Lady Tsunade, Shizune knew Sakura's parents hadn't been found after all the ANBU team had only just been deployed.<p>

"It seems the Uchiha kid finally made his move" Tsunade said when Shizune related the strange behavior to the Hokage a couple of days later.

"So you think they're?"

"No Sakura is too focused on her parents. That's not something she's going to throw away like that for some boy even if it is this Sasuke kid. Likewise he still wants revenge for his clan. But I at least think he's said something about it"

"Oh that is a very strange place to be and they are trying to hide it from everyone? Must be difficult" Shizune commented.

"Well actually Team 7 have a mission briefing today and Kakashi won't be going with them. It's to the Land of Tea so it'll just be the three of them. I wonder if Naruto will catch on" Tsunade wondered aloud.

"HELLO GRANNY TSUNADE?" Naruto's voice called loudly followed by a few sharp knocks on the door.

"Naruto its Lady Tsunade or Lady Hokage you can't be so disrespectful!" Sakura reprimanded from behind the door.

"Hn the dobe doesn't care" Sasuke added.

"Send them in Shizune" Tsunade sighed and Team 7 filed into the room to stand in front of the new Hokage, Naruto still chattering.

"If this is a mission debrief then shouldn't Kakashi-sensei be here by now?" Sakura asked Tsunade cutting over the top of Naruto.

"He's actually not going to be attending this mission, our forces are stretching quite thin at the moment and a lot of Jounin are out on their own tasks including your sensei. So it's just you three" Tsunade explained.

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged slightly worried glances but Naruto happily bounced on the balls of his feet and grinned at Tsunade. "So what's the mission?"

"It's B ranked and an escort mission for someone important. I figure after you Land of Snow success that you three can handle it. Granted the mission goes up a level if you get attacked along the way"

"Who are we escorting?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know Uchiha" Tsunade replied and Sakura furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Lady Tsunade what do you mean you don't know?"

"All I know is that the Land of Tea has a dedication ceremony every four years at the Totoroki Shrine and our village is always asked to escort a runner to participate, but the messengers bringing the request were attacked before they could get here to deliver the request"

_Land of Tea, didn't that obnoxious Lord in Snow Country say something about the Land of Tea_, Sakura thought trying to recall what was significant about the land.

"Huh wait I'm still confused" Naruto began but Lady Tsunade shook her head, "The man you'll be meeting there will explain everything to you but you're officially late and you need to be in the Land of Tea later today"

"Right you can count on us!" Naruto said running out of the Hokage office, Sasuke nodded curtly at Tsunade before leaving, Sakura quickly bowed to her sensei and followed her teammates out.

_Just as I thought Naruto has no idea,_ Tsunade thought smirking.

"What a coincidence that we found a Tea House on our way to the Land of Tea!" Naruto exclaimed happily taking a seat at one of the tables and grabbing the menu.

Sasuke and Sakura sat opposite their blond teammate and exchanged exasperated looks. Team 7 placed their order and waited for it to arrive, there was only one other person in the house. Sasuke snaked his arm under the table and grabbed Sakura's hand in his own while keeping his signature bored look on his face. Sakura blushed a little at the contact that was still foreign to her but managed to keep a straight face.

"Ehh Sakura-chan your cheeks look red! Are you okay!?" Naruto asked looking over the top of his menu.

"Naruto I'm fine it's just hot outside is all" Sakura said and nudged Sasuke with her elbow when she saw him smirking.

"So you're just sitting around in the shade drinking sweet bean soup? Easy life for a ninja isn't it?" The man who had been sitting in the far corner of the tea house remarked walking past Team 7's table.

"What did you say!?" Naruto demanded his temper flaring at the comment.

"Well you do look out of shape so I guess that either means you don't get that much action in the Leaf Village or you're just lazy" The man continued chewing on a piece of straw but his eyes widened significantly when his eyes landed on Sakura.

"Well hello there. I'm Idate Morino, you're a pretty young thing you are much too lovely to be a ninja that's for sure" The man said sweetly resting his elbow on the table and leaning in towards Sakura.

"Thanks but I'm not interested" Sakura said stiffly feeling Sasuke's grip on her hand tighten.

"Oh come on what kind of an answer was that? You should give up this stupid charade and leave here with me" Idate continued and winked for emphasis.

"Are you going to hit this guy Sakura or am I!?" Naruto demanded standing up and cocking his fist "If you don't stop hitting on her I'm going to start hitting on you!"

"I won't be going anywhere with someone like you. Now either you get out of my personal space or you lose your fingers" Sakura replied simply and reached for her kunai knife with her free hand, Sasuke smirked and let go of Sakura's hand to allow her a good shot.

"Whatever. I was only kidding around and it'd be cradle snatching" Idate said and seemed slightly concerned when he saw Sakura pull the kunai. "But I meant everything I said before; ninja are lazy good for nothings and you better go back or they'll be trouble!"

"Yeah I'd like to see you try!" Naruto shot back completely fired up. _Great he's going to take ages to calm down_, Sakura thought exasperated.

"Hn Naruto we haven't got time to waste with a loser like this" Sasuke said trying his best not to get annoyed.

"Yeah did you hear that we – oh hey he's gone!" Naruto exclaimed as Team 7 looked around to find Idate had vanished.

_He has to have had some sort of advanced training to move as quick as he did and go unnoticed_, Sakura thought and looked at Sasuke who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

"Here we are sweet bean soup, dumplings and rice. Thank you for waiting nicely. I'll just leave these on the table for you whenever you're ready" The woman from the tea house said cheerily and placed two slips of paper on the table along with their food.

"Wait a second why do we have two bills?" Sakura asked holding up the other slip of paper.

"Oh right your friend from before said you would be paying for his meal. How gracious of you to do so"

"WHAT!?" Naruto yelled at ear splitting volume grabbing his ninja travel bag and bolting out of the Tea House.

"You've got to be joking!" Sakura exclaimed angrily reaching for her bag, tossing the money on the table and running after Naruto. Sasuke sighed and swallowed a few mouthfuls of rice before following his teammates.

"**OH YEAH SOME GUY TRIES TO FREE LOAD OFF OF US THERE'S NO WAY HE'S NOT GONNA PAY!" **Inner Sakura demanded as Team 7 flew through the treetops searching for Idate.

"Hn we're not going to catch up with him, his speed is unmatchable" Sasuke said. "Well we're not going to stop trying until we do! Lousy idiot thinks he can free load off of us!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Wait I think I hear something, it's this way" Sakura said leading her teammates down a small hill and into a clearing where they found Idate hanging upside down from a tree having fallen just a few moments ago.

"All the speed in the world can't help me if I keep falling over useless tree branches" Idate mumbled.

"Well it serves you right you lousy freeloader!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Hn you have some nerve" Sasuke added.

"We have better things to do than chase around a common thief like you" Sakura said feeling annoyed that they had wasted so much time straying from their mission.

"I'm sorry okay! I couldn't help it I was mugged and all my money was stolen. Then you three walked in and I know it was wrong but I was hungry and what else could I do?" Idate whined and threw himself on his knees begging for forgiveness.

"Hn you don't really believe this guy right?" Sasuke asked Sakura quietly. "I don't know it's possible but he doesn't seem like a threat other than being unusually fast"

"Hey what's this?" Naruto asked picking up a decorated sheath for a knife that was on the ground next to Idate.

"That's mine!" Idate yelled and snatched the sheath back. All begging and pleading gone from his voice Idate stood up and unclipped the leg weights around his lower legs. Dropping them to the ground Idate immediately sprinted off in the opposite direction much faster without the weights.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE WE FELL FOR THAT!" Naruto exclaimed and shot off after him. Sasuke and Sakura followed at a slower pace knowing there was no way they would be able to catch up with the thief.

"Naruto stop there's no point he's long gone" Sakura said catching up to her teammate. Naruto pouted like a five year old and glared. "Whatever, the next time I see that guy he's dead"

* * *

><p>"Before the festival used to be one of friendly competition but then it centred around the conflict between the Wasabi and Wagarashi families which are also rival gambling organisations. Instead of armed conflicts to determine who has control of the town, the race to the Totoroki shrine now determines it" Jirōchō the leader of the Wasabi family explained.<p>

"So where do we come in?" Sakura asked.

"In the past four years we have learnt that the Wagarashi hired ninja to protect and assist their runner. They have done the same this year which is why we contacted your village for help. I beg you; please lend our family your strength and abilities. If the Wagarashi succeed they hold the town for four more years" Jirōchō knelt before Team 7 within the confines of the Wasabi family home.

"You can count on us!" Naruto said happily and Sakura nodded in agreement, she was glad they had made it to the Land of Tea on time despite their setback with the Tea House thief.

"So who are we escorting?" Sasuke asked voicing his affirmation for the task. "Wonderful you've taken the job, Idate please come in!"

"Yes boss you wanted to see me?" Idate asked stepping into the room.

"WHAT YOU'VE GOTTA BE JOKING!" Naruto yelled pointing his finger accusingly at Idate, Sasuke let out a low growl and Sakura rested her hand in her head. Idate seemed equally as shocked and annoyed to see them.

"Good you already know each other that will make this whole process easier! Idate please show our guests around the village!" Jirōchō instructed before bowing and leaving the room.

Idate and Naruto squabbled the whole way into the village square with Sasuke and Sakura trailing behind them observing their surroundings. Growing tired of the bickering the Uchiha boy motioned for Sakura to follow him and they began walking towards the central market place.

"These prices are incredible" Sakura murmured quietly to Sasuke who nodded in agreement.

"I am sorry; you must be tourists to our village. My prices are not normally this high and I don't like to charge people that much believe me but the Wagarashi sets the prices of everything sold in the village" The lady who owned the shop explained.

"How much control do they have over this village?" Sasuke asked but before he could get an answer a huge crash followed by loud voices alerted the ninja's attention.

"Do you even know who you're talking to? We're the Wagarashi and we run this village which means you've got to do what we say and no questions asked. I mean you wouldn't be in business if it wasn't for us!" A member of the Wagarashi family taunted a man fallen on the ground, his cart with fruit smashed and overturned.

"But you took it and didn't pay!" The man protested feebly. The Wagarashi clan members laughed and one of them stepped forward. "Looks like you just don't get it old man. We'll have to make a public example of you"

"Do you want to handle this or should I?" Sakura asked Sasuke as they both watched the altercation in disgust.

"Hn you can do it" Sasuke said smirking as more people gathered onto the street and the shop owner they had been previously talking to came out tentatively and stood next to Sasuke as Sakura nodded and walked forward. "What is she going to do?" The woman asked fearfully.

"Just watch" Sasuke replied as the Wagarashi man lined up his arm to take a shot at the villager only for Sakura to catch his wrist and hold it there strongly.

"Who the hell are you?" The Wagarashi man asked.

"You need to leave this man alone and better yet leave the whole village alone. Get lost" Sakura said applying a little chakra pressure to her opponent's wrist making him grunt in pain.

The other two Wagarashi men turned around and quickly came to the defence of their leader. Sakura jumped quickly to avoid the attack and landed a punch squarely in one man's jaw and a kick to the other. A series of quickly calculated martial arts manoeuvres left the leader man on the ground with a broken jaw. The other two men remained standing but were severely bruised and beaten in the face.

"You're lucky we let you live this time round" One man said to Sakura as the picked the leader off the ground.

"Hn is that right?" Sasuke asked from where he stood and Sakura cracked her knuckles loudly. A shiver of fear shot through the Wagarashi men and they quickly sprinted away almost leaving their leader behind.

"Thank you young lady" The older man said clutching his now returned money bag with his days earnings in it.

"Not a problem" Sakura replied cheerfully and helped him up. Sasuke rubbed her shoulder and nodded to indicate she'd done well. The shop owner looked at the men running off in awe.

"That was impressive just look at them run away like the cowards they are! Now if the Wasabi can just win the race we'll be safe for the next four years. I can finally go back to charging people properly!"

_I have a feeling it isn't going to be that easy_, Sakura thought.

* * *

><p>"Man I didn't think these races were such a big deal!" Naruto said looking at the masses of people who had gotten up before sunrise to see the runners off.<p>

"Well it is and it's a pretty long race too. From this map you can see they start here at Degoroshi Harbour and then travel by boat across to the Motoroki Shrine which is the midpoint. Then the runners pick up the jewels from the Motoroki Shrine and the first one to get to the Great Totoroki Shrine is declared the winner" Sakura said showing Naruto and Sasuke the map Jirōchō had given her.

"But there are no rules in terms of conduct and anything goes. That's why runners can hire ninja" Sasuke clarified.

"I get it but where are the ninja for the other runner? I mean we're guarding Idate in the open so why aren't they?" Naruto asked scowling when he mentioned Idate's name.

"They probably want to keep a low profile which isn't a bad idea. But we still need to be aware of them" Sakura decided stowing the map away in her bag.

"I don't care what you three do but you better not get in my way. I have a race to run and I don't need you screwing things up for me" Idate said fixing his sandals.

"Hey you better show some respect! We're risking our lives to make sure an ungrateful idiot like you doesn't die!" Naruto said hotly.

"Feel free to leave at anytime I don't need you hanging around!" Idate replied angrily and Sakura stepped between them.

"Naruto we're on mission so we can't just leave you know the deal. I think you both need to try and get along because we're all going to be together for a few days"

"Not with him I can't!" Both said in unison and turned away from the other stubbornly. Sakura rubbed her temples and tried not to let her temper rise, it was going to be a long race there was no doubt of that.

"Attention everyone the race is about to begin! Running for the Wasabi family is Idate Morino" A voice from the speaker above the start line announced.

_I didn't even notice it before when he introduced himself in the Tea House. Idate Morino? As in Ibiki Morino our proctor for written component of the Chunin Exams? _Sakura thought and looked at Idate curiously.

"Runners take your marks"

Idate and his opponent from the Wagarashi family got into the starting position as the gates in front of them opened to reveal a long jetty with two boats at the end.

"GO!" The voice over the speaker shouted as both men took off running through the gates. Team 7 prepared themselves to follow Idate onto the boat when they noticed him suddenly peel off from the other runner and head in a completely different direction.

"What does he think he's doing?" Sakura wondered aloud as the ninja sprang into action following Idate.

"I don't know but it's getting on my nerves" Sasuke replied clearly annoyed.

Naruto shouted loudly that he was going the wrong way but Idate grinned widely and ran faster with Team 7 on his tail towards the mainland and away from the race start point.

* * *

><p>Hey everyone,<p>

Sorry I'm late with this update but I've had a few personal issues and quite a bit of university time consuming assessment. Nonetheless I hope you like the new chapter, let me know what you think! Yay for the Sasuke and Sakura relationship progress (small is a start!)

The update days might vary a bit because a lot of my assessment is coming up at the same time *sigh* but it'll definitely be one update a week as it is now, the days just may differ depending.

Anyway I shall see you all next week with the next chapter! ^^ xxx


	38. Update Message

Hello everyone!

Sorry this isn't an updated chapter but I thought I'd let you all know what's going on since I've had a few messages about the lack of chapters. So my exam timetable came out and until the 25th of June I am swamped with finals study. So I'm afraid there won't be any new chapters until after the 25th but rest assured I will update as soon as I can after that and we'll be back on track for weekly updates again!

Hope you all understand and I'll have a new chapter up after the 25th Good luck to anyone else out there who is cramming as hard for final exams as I am! Hope you all do well xx


	39. Land of Tea Part 2

The Turning Point

* * *

><p>"HEY WOULD YOU JUST SLOW DOWN FOR ONE SECOND!?" Naruto wheezed, still managing to yell at Idate who sped up effortlessly in front of them.<p>

"If you ninja can't keep up then go home! I don't need you holding me back!" Idate called back over his shoulder.

Naruto growled in response "What's this guy's deal? Why would he turn around and run away from the starting line? Doesn't he know he's gonna lose?"

"Maybe he just doesn't want to do it. You saw how reluctant he was to accept us guarding him, what's to say he feels the same about this race" Sakura replied propelling herself forward and securing a solid landing on the next tree branch.

"I don't think that's it. You saw how much he respects that boss of his, why would he double cross him? Hn it's possible he planned to come this way from the start" Sasuke said keeping his eye trained on Idate below.

"I guess so and if that's the case he clearly knows something we don't" Sakura said glancing at her teammates.

"Well I'm fed up with running after this idiot it's time to see what his game is!" Naruto said using a burst of chakra to jump gracefully from the tree tops and match Idate's speed on the ground.

"That seems like a solid plan" Sakura muttered as the two males began bickering furiously.

They raced along the forest floor which quickly merged into a rocky cliff which began crumbling under their weight. Exchanging quick looks of conformation Sasuke and Sakura registered the appearance of genjutsu.

"Is there much point in warning Naruto? They're already caught in it and Idate doesn't have the training to notice" Sakura asked Sasuke who smirked.

"I think you just answered your own question. Besides with all their bickering I doubt the dobe could even hear us calling out"

Below them Naruto and Idate had stopped running and were standing in front of an old tree that Idate had already run past.

"Great genjutsu just what I need, in that case I guess I just need to do this" Idate said and pressed his hands together. "Release!"

"Hey wait how did you do that?" Naruto stared wide eyed at the hand sign Idate had just made but the older man left no time for questions as he raced towards a beam of light coming out of the densely thick forest.

"No stop!" Sakura called out as she and Sasuke could see that break in the jutsu would cause Idate to go over the side of the cliff.

Sasuke immediately opened his travel bag and reached into it for a coil of rope. Naruto quickly followed Idate out and over the edge of the cliff grabbing hold of the man by his waist. Sasuke had managed to tie a hole in the rope and throw it over the cliff edge to hook around Naruto's ankle preventing them from falling.

Assuming an effective leverage position Sasuke draped the weight of the rope over his back as Sakura picked up the end and both began hauling their teammate and client up.

"You saw how that worked right? Two genjutsu blending into each other which means whoever set them off is at least Chunin level or higher" Sakura observed as she grit her teeth and pulled on the rope harder.

"Hn" Sasuke replied in agreement and glared viciously down below where Naruto and Idate had begun arguing again and were causing the rope to sway unsteadily. "Stop fighting you'll break the rope!" he called down angrily.

"GAHHH! I TOLD YOU TO KNOCK IT OFF!" Came Naruto's pained cry as his ninja tools were knocked out of his pouch and down into the crevasse. Within a few minutes Sasuke and Sakura had pulled the two very annoyed men up.

Deciding she would rather avoid a headache Sakura busied herself with re-coiling the rope and let Sasuke handle the friction between Naruto and Idate.

"Whatever I told you I don't need you ninja. I have my own way of doing things" Idate decided peering over the cliff and shrugging his shoulders.

"You don't need us! If it wasn't for us pal you'd be at the bottom of that cliff where my ninja tools are! Not to mention we all saved your stupid life!" Naruto demanded.

"Please don't act like I actually owe you anything. You're ninja and you saved my life because it's your duty! I wouldn't thank a woman selling me groceries because that's just her job!" Idate shot back.

Naruto lurched forward but Sasuke blocked him with his arm. "Dobe he's completely right but if you don't want to end this thing in a coffin I suggest you stick around us" Sasuke said fixing Idate with a blank look.

Scoffing the runner turned his back on the ninja and began to walk along the cliff. "So I take it we're not going to back to the port" Sakura said stuffing the rope back into Sasuke's bag and raised an eyebrow at Idate.

"Forget that port it's completely useless. I'm heading north from here it'll be faster that way"

"That's what you say anyway, for all we know you could be leading us into a trap!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

"That's the problem with all you ninja you can't trust anyone and are always suspicious of everyone's motives. I noticed that the winds were blowing towards the start line whereas there is a port up north that will sail me straight into the island" Idate explained as though they were a bunch of children.

_Jerk_, Sakura thought and picked up her and Sasuke's bags from the ground. Sasuke seemed to have the same opinion as he glared at Idate, but when Sakura handed him his bag his face softened and managed to give her a small smile.

This didn't go unnoticed by Idate who raised his eyebrows knowingly. Fearing he may have revealed too much Sasuke's face reverted back to a blank mask. "Let's go, you want to win this thing don't you?"

"Whatever" Idate replied and Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously until Sakura pulled him by the wrist to indicate they needed to get moving. Idate smirked widely and trailed behind the two with Naruto walking beside him grumbling angrily.

"What's with your friends?" Idate asked midly.

"Huh what are you talking about?" Naruto replied uncrossing his arms and staring intently at the older boy.

"You can't tell me you don't see it. Ah forget it you're totally oblivious" Idate sighed and continued on pushing past Sasuke and Sakura to get to the front.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN OBLIVIOUS!"

Like Idate had said the port at the north did exist, with some help from an old man of the Wasabi family Team 7 and Idate were soon out on the ocean sailing towards Motoroki Shrine and the half-way point of the race. Sasuke had taken command of the rudder intent on getting them to the island as quickly as possible. Sharing the fact that he had some experience steering a boat, Sakura and Naruto were more than happy for him to take on the task.

_I don't like being out in the open like this. Even though the Wagarashi family runner and their ninja should be behind us, we were still attacked by someone with that double genjutsu. The sooner we make it to this island the better_, Sakura thought as she tied off a rope on the side of the boat.

"Sakura are you almost done? I think I could use some help" Naruto called out sheepishly having tangled the rope into a series of complicated knots.

"How on earth did you manage that?" Sakura asked clearly amused as she bent down to undo the knots Naruto leaned closer toward her.

"I did that on purpose because I wanted to ask you about this Idate guy" Naruto whispered and Sakura nodded keeping her attention fixed on untying the knots.

"When we were in the forest he knew how to release the genjutsu and normal citizens just don't get that kind of training right? Plus how did he get to run so fast, he's almost as fast as Fuzzy Brow" Naruto explained and Sakura pinched his ear at the mention of Lee's nickname.

"I was thinking about that too and maybe he spent some time in one of the Hidden Villages or maybe someone in his family was a ninja and passed on the skills" Sakura said as she finished tying the rope off.

"I guess but come on that guy is a complete blockhead! I mean he ran through the genjutsu and almost got himself killed. An idiot like that could never be a ninja!" Naruto exclaimed standing up and resting his hands behind his head.

"Well last time I checked Naruto your track record isn't exactly stupid-free" Sakura said and got to her feet as well.

"Y-yeah but I did make it to the final round of the Chunin exams. We all did! That's got to count for something right?" Naruto said hastily feeling slightly embarrassed.

"What? You three all made it to the final round? That's impossible!" Idate exclaimed and stared wide-eyed at Sakura and Naruto.

"There was an interruption of sorts but yes if that hadn't occurred there is a good chance that Naruto, Sasuke and myself all would have become Chunin" Sakura answered feeling the disappointment rise within her at the memory.

"You're proctors clearly a push over if he allowed you in. The other too maybe but you, no way! Those exams have lowered their standards a lot" Idate said directly to Naruto who gritted his teeth angrily.

"Hn how do you know so much about the Chunin exams if you're not a ninja" Sasuke asked keeping a tight grip on the rudder. Idate stiffened at the question and quickly turned to face the ocean.

"I knew it when your name was announced at the starting line I just forgot to pursue the question. Idate Morino. Our proctor for the first exam was Ibiki Morino" Sakura recalled.

"I-Ibiki? What are you saying that my brother is alive?" Idate asked frantically. "Of course he's alive man that tenth question he threw at me was insane!" Naruto exclaimed oblivious to Idate's panic.

"That's right he's alive which I guess begs the question of why aren't you in the Leaf Village with him?" Sakura asked her eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Suddenly an arrow flew into the boat landing mere centimetres from Idate. "Saved by the bell" Sakura said dryly as Sasuke looked up to see another boat tailing them. "Looks like an ambush"

"The Wagarashi family already but I thought you said we'd be miles in front of them" Naruto asked Idate who seemed frozen in place looking at the arrow.

"Although it's possible they would attack us, the Wagarashi family runner would benefit more from passing us rather than engaging in a fight that could waste precious race time. Maybe try and disable the boat to slow us down but it's highly unlikely they'd engage in a full on ambush" Sakura decided and Idate gaped at her.

"What its basic logic right?" Sakura asked in response to the looks she was getting from her teammates and Idate.

"That's impressive for a fifteen year old" Idate said.

"Even a ninja?" Naruto asked sarcastically and Sakura smirked.

"Heads up!" Sasuke called out jumping away from the rudder to deflect the barrage of arrows that covered the boat.

Drawing out her own kunai Sakura deflected as many as she could with Idate using his knife and Naruto rendered useless thanks to the loss of his ninja tools.

"Right we need a plan. Someone has to cover Idate while the other two handle this threat. It's too late to run now" Sasuke instructed as four more arrows were fired into the boat with ropes attached to them to hold Team 7 and Idate so they couldn't escape.

Naruto looked at Sakura who sighed. "Guess it'll be me who guards him, you two can't work together without wanting to kill each other" she said motioning to the space between Idate and her blonde teammate.

"Thanks Sakura-chan I totally owe you one!"

"You can thank her later dobe now get working on those ropes and I'll cover you" Sasuke said and Naruto nodded reaching for the ropes but finding he had no knife to cut them with.

"Hey lend me your knife quickly so I can cut these ropes. After all it's thanks to you that I don't have my own" Naruto said motioning to Idate with his hand outstretched.

"What give you my knife? This thing is more precious to me than my own life there's no way I'm just going to give it to you!" Idate said hugging the knife to his chest.

"You've got to be kidding me even in an emergency like this you're thinking of yourself! Just hand it over!" Naruto demanded and attempted to reach for the knife.

"Just take mine and cut the ropes we're running out of time!" Sakura exclaimed and tossed her knife to Naruto who made quick work of the ropes attaching them to the other boat.

"What the hell are those things!?" Idate yelled as clones began rising up out of the middle of their boat.

_I recognise these clones they're the ones who attacked us during the Chunin exams. The first Naruto imposter we faced and then at the end near the tower in the Forest of Death. But why are they here now?_ Sakura thought as she watched Sasuke activate his Sharingan.

"They're just clones! We'll be fine because only the real one can attack us" Naruto said trying to reassure Idate.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Sakura, Naruto you need to be careful one of them isn't a shadow clone" Sasuke called out his Sharingan revealing all that needed to be seen.

"Idate you need to stand back and stay out of trouble got it?" Sakura asked turning to the runner for the Wasabi family.

"Yeah right like I'm going to take help from all of you!" Idate shot back holding his knife tighter.

"Well it's not like you really have a choice at the moment" Naruto said and failed to see the clone that had jumped from the mast of the boat and straight for him.

"Behind you!" Sasuke called out and Naruto turned just in time to be crushed under the weight of the real ninja. Before Sakura could assist her teammate a familiar puff of white smoke covered the ground and Naruto had disappeared.

Four Naruto clones came charging down from the mast, the real Naruto being among them and hit the real enemy ninja but he dodged the attack and managed to jump into the safety of the ocean.

"That Shadow Clone kid is turning out to be a handful. Looks like we'll have to switch to plan B" The leader of the masked ninja said to his team breathing into the metal mouthpiece in front of his face.

"Right, Water Style: Black Rain Jutsu!" Another ninja said performing the necessary hand signs.

Within a matter of minutes Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were making their way through the clones destroying as many as they could. Raising his fist and landing a hit on one Naruto's hand was immediately covered in water.

"They've changed to water clones" Naruto announced.

"I know but why?" Sasuke asked slicing another clone across the abdomen.

Round-house kicking a clone across the chest Sakura stopped momentarily to catch her breath and noticed a drop of black liquid had landed on her cheek. Suddenly it began raining but as Sakura held out her hand black liquid began to pool in it.

"This isn't ordinary rain and there's not a cloud in the sky. It smells like oil and has the same consistency" Sakura muttered.

_Enough of this messing around, we need to finish these guys and get Idate out of here_. _With my fireball jutsu I can take them all out in one shot_, Sasuke thought and quickly arranged his hands oblivious to the danger.

Sakura's head snapped up to see Sasuke performing the Tiger Seal hand sign. _Shit if he performs that jutsu this whole boat is going to go up in flames_

"Sasuke stop! We have to get everyone off this boat. It's raining oil and if you fireball jutsu these clones this whole boat is going to go up in flames!" Sakura warned and Sasuke stopped before he could activate the jutsu.

"Dammit this is getting out of hand" The masked man said from his position on the ambush boat. "Where there's a will there's a way" One of this teammates spoke up aiming the crossbow with a flaming arrow at Idate's boat.

"In coming! Sasuke, Naruto get away from the puddles of oil!" Sakura yelled as the fire arrow made contact with the boat and erupted into flames.

Having jumped out of the way of most of the oil Sasuke turned to see Sakura and Idate cut off from himself and Naruto due to the huge mast of the boat which had started to come apart sending hot flaming pieces of wood down to the deck to form a barrier.

"Sakura! Idate!" Naruto called as he too noticed the wall of burning wood that had now separated himself and Sasuke from Sakura.

"There's no other option we have to swim to the shrine! We need to go now before those masked men see that we've slipped away. I'll stay with Idate and you two stay together as well. We'll all meet at Nagi Island!" Sakura yelled to her teammates and coughed a few times due to the thick black smoke that filled the air.

"Sakura don't be stupid you can't guard him on your own! There's no way I'm letting you go alone!" Sasuke yelled back destroying yet another clone and made a desperate bid to clear the barrier the fallen debris had made but the flames were too strong.

"Sasuke we need to go, Sakura can do this okay. Those guys aren't going to give up so easy and we need to lead them away. She'll be fine" Naruto said motioning for Sasuke to join him in the water.

"At Nagi Island don't go anywhere. Stay and wait with Idate until we arrive and don't die got it?" Sasuke said but there was a tone of desperation in his voice, almost pleading that Idate had never heard before.

"I'll be there and I'll wait. Don't worry, you and Naruto stay safe as well and don't die" Sakura called back her voice sounding more measured than Sasuke's but the uncertainty leaked through.

Pushing Idate forward before she could have any second thoughts Sakura dived into the ocean and quickly matched pace with Idate as they swam for Nagi Island. Sasuke jumped into the water after Naruto but they moved in a different direction knowing that the masked men wouldn't hesitate to follow them.

"She'll be fine Sasuke, she always is" Naruto offered as they began to swim slowly not too far from the direction of the island but far enough to draw the fight from Sakura and Idate.

"Hn I just wanted to be there, to make sure" Sasuke replied trying to keep his focus on swimming forward.

"I do as well but Sakura-chan is a great ninja she just needs chances to prove it!" Naruto exclaimed oblivious to Sasuke's feelings.

"Right, I can sense the chakra of those masked men. They're heading towards us. Let's finish this quickly and get to Nagi Island" Sasuke said and stopped swimming.

"There it is, that's the fringe of Nagi Island" Idate said point to a rocky outcrop which led into dense looking forest.

"Right let's get onto those rocks and out of this water" Sakura said as they paddled closer to shore.

Sakura decided she'd feel a lot more able bodied once they were on dry land, fighting in the water was definitely not her forte and she wondered how Sasuke and Naruto would fair. Idate went first climbing out of the water and onto the rocks with Sakura following behind eager to get out of the water.

Reaching for the next rock to grab onto Sakura looked up to see Idate was frozen above her. Peering around him to see what the problem was Sakura felt her muscles tense and coil when she saw a man with violet coloured eyes smirking down at them, an umbrella strapped to his back.

"Hello there Idate, long time no see"

"You, you were behind that attack!" Idate said glaring at the man. Sakura managed to lever herself onto a better rocky surface and quickly drew her kunai. "Who is this guy Idate and what does he want?"

"Oh how nice you brought a ninja with you. I'm surprised she'd want to protect a traitor like you"

"You're Aoi Rokusho" Idate said his eyes fixed on the man and ignored Sakura's question.

"It's funny you should still be standing here Idate. I was half expecting you to run away and leave your friend here for dead. After all that's what you normally do isn't it" Aoi taunted Idate twirling his umbrella.

"It was all because of you that I ran! You caused it all!" Idate spat angrily.

"Now Idate how can you say those things when we're so alike. It's our selfishness that unites us, an inability to trust anyone and only think of ourselves. Which is why you betrayed your village and your brother" Aoi said his voice dripping with false sympathy.

"You betrayed Konoha and Ibiki?" Sakura asked Idate who looked at the ground in shame.

"He did indeed which is why I don't believe a person like that deserves to live. So you won't mind standing aside while I finish him off" Aoi said and threw his umbrella up into the air.

Drawing out a handful of senbon needles Aoi aimed straight for Idate and threw the needles in a split second. Knowing her knife wouldn't be able to take out all of the needles and the fact that she wasn't going to have the time to jump in front and then reposition to block the needles effectively. Seeing only one course of action Sakura threw herself in front of Idate and took the hit completely.

The sting was familiar and Sakura knew as soon as she'd been hit that the senbon were laced with poison. When she had been training with Shizune on how to lace a senbon with poison Sakura had been shown what it would feel like to take a hit with a poison senbon. The poison Shizune had used had not been lethal but she had said that the sting would be stronger than just the initial hit.

Crumpling to the ground Sakura could feel the poison spreading through her blood stream and as much as she willed her limbs to move she could do nothing to protect Idate from the blow to the head from Aoi that rendered him unconscious.

"I'd say you're pretty much out of the race Idate and the runner for the Wagarashi is at Motoroki Shrine. But just to be certain that you won't ruin their chances" Aoi withdrew a further four poison senbon and rammed them into Idate's unconscious body.

Sakura made a noise of protest but the poison was already so debilitating that her head began to swim as her heart pumped the poisonous blood around her body.

_The antidote was in my bag that I left on the, boat without it I won't last more than twenty minutes given time for the poison to circulate_, Sakura thought as Aoi stepped back proud of the task he had completed.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto called out running across the rocks with Sasuke right behind him. Using all her strength Sakura could see both looked visibly shaken but determined nonetheless.

More importantly strapped to Sasuke's back was her travel bag with the antidote needed to combat the poison running through her system. Sakura licked her lips slowly and attempted to speak but her voice was raw and hoarse. Hardly any sound came out and bile bubbled to the surface of her lips and leaked out of her mouth.

"S-Sakura. What did you do to her?" Sasuke demanded staring at his teammate in shock his heart beating out of his chest. She looked so pale and tiny and what was that substance leaking out of her mouth?

"I see those Rain Ninja were incompetent once again. Beaten by a bunch of genin to think. But I wouldn't be so concerned you will join your friend in death very soon" Aoi said and drew his umbrella out again.

"Yeah let's find out then!" Naruto said and ran forward Sasuke right behind him. They each tried a series of well-aimed martial arts manoeuvres but Aoi dodged them effortlessly.

Jumping into the air the violet eyed man opened out his umbrella and sent a torrent of pressure down to pin Sasuke and Naruto to the earth. Seeing that they were weakened and unable to stand fully to fight Aoi wasted no time in drawing out his poison senbon. Successfully hitting Sasuke and Naruto to the point where they were completely disabled Aoi stood up and smiled upon hearing cheers from up on the island.

"He has arrived at the Motoroki Shrine; those cheers will be the only sound that you all hear. Mercifully I suppose the pink haired girl will die first, she has been poisoned a lot longer than the rest of you. So long" Aoi finished his victory speech and disappeared completely.

P-Pull the needles out. It'll delay t-the flow of poison through your bodies" Sakura managed finding her voice and attempted to pull her body upright. Sasuke abandoned the needles in his arm and moved as quickly as he could to Sakura to help her up.

"Is she going to…?" Naruto trailed off staring fearfully at his female teammate.

"No!" Sasuke said fiercely and began to pluck the needles out of Sakura's body as gently as he could.

"M-My bag. I need it Sasuke" Sakura said quietly and motioned for it feeling slightly better since the needles had been removed.

Quickly unstrapping the bag from his back Sasuke opened it and rifled through the medicinal supplies in a panic. "Dammit Sakura what am I looking for!? Sasuke asked running a hand through his hair in exasperation.

"Red tube, small tablets" Sakura said quickly not having the energy to get angry with Sasuke or to look for it herself.

Sasuke quickly retrieved the tube and popped the lid open taking one of the tablets and forcing it into Sakura's hand but she shook her head and pointed at Idate who was still alive but motionless on the ground.

"Don't be stupid you took way more needles to the body than any of us and you were hit first. Open your mouth" Sasuke growled and Sakura complied allowing Sasuke to feed her the tablet.

Sasuke took one for himself and handed the tube to Naruto motioning for him to feed one to Idate. Sakura could slowly feel the strength returning to her limbs but knew the antidote would take a few more minutes to work in full. Sitting up Sakura could see that Sasuke had neglected to remove the needles in his own body and quickly set about removing them herself and healing the torn skin. Naruto watched their interaction silently and considered what Idate had said to him at the beginning of the race, was this what he was so oblivious to?

Sasuke visibly relaxed seeing that Sakura had recovered slightly but refused to move from her side even when she insisted on attending to Idate. The rain came down in a torrent making visibility zero but Sakura knew they had to move onto the island and get Idate out of the rain. Quickly locating a cave just up a hill from where they were Team 7 carried Idate into it. Using his fireball jutsu Sasuke was able to start a fire to keep warm.

Sakura resorted through her bag making sure all her supplies were there. She took out bandages and herbal medicine to heal the wounds Idate had sustained as well as checking Naruto and Sasuke for major injuries.

"So what happened with that guy Sakura? What was his deal anyway?" Naruto asked biting hungrily into the fish they were able to catch from rock pools and cook.

"His name is Aoi and he and Idate know each other somehow. He was here when we climbed ashore and I wasn't quick enough to deflect his senbon attack so I took the first hit instead of Idate. Not that it mattered. He's clearly working for the Wagarashi family but he also said something about Idate betraying the Leaf Village" Sakura explained orienting herself towards the fire for warmth.

"Hn that makes sense, Idate and Ibiki Morino" Sasuke added watching the fire. Sakura had failed to notice it when they had been down on the rocks but the Uchiha boy had become more withdrawn. Perhaps it had something to do with the fight with those Rain Ninja.

"How did you two fair after I left. I was worried for you both given that the fight was in water and that's not exactly our strong point" Sakura asked touching Sasuke's arm as both an affectionate gesture and a way to get his attention but Sasuke stiffened at the subject matter and her touch so Sakura withdrew silently.

"Piece of cake Sakura-chan! We annihilated those guys they didn't stand a chance!" Naruto exclaimed happily and reached for another fish but Sakura slapped his hand away. "Those are for Idate when he wakes up"

Naruto continued to whine but Sakura ignored him and fixed her attention on Sasuke. His face was completely blank and void of emotion as he looked into the fire. _Naruto must have shown a huge display of power again for Sasuke to act like this. I can't talk to him now about it though_.

"Mmmm where am I? My head it hurts really badly, what happened?" Idate mumbled slowly sitting up and rubbing his head.

"That Rain Ninja Aoi knocked you out and you got hit by some senbon needles laced with poison. But you've taken an antidote and you should recover. But he did give you some other injuries, one to your leg especially which may prevent you from continuing on in the race" Sakura said switching into medical mode.

"Out of the race you can't be serious! I've let everyone down and the Wagarashi family will win for sure. My boss, he put so much faith in me. No I have to keep moving I can't stay here!" Idate declared and frantically got to his feet only to fall down again because of the pain.

"You shouldn't move your leg still needs to heal. I've repaired the wound but the tissue can only become stronger again with rest" Sakura said coaxing Idate into a sitting position and handed him a fish to eat.

"Who was that guy Aoi anyway and what's this about you betraying the Hidden Leaf Village" Sasuke asked monotone causing Sakura and Naruto to look at him incredulously.

"Sasuke you can't just ask him that" Sakura said trying to remain calm and not let her temper get the better of her.

"Why not huh? I think we deserve to know exactly what kind of person we're guarding especially if he betrayed the village we're from" Sasuke snapped his anger at Naruto's newfound abilities getting the better of him.

"Well maybe because he was knocked out cold and shoved full of poison senbon and what he should be focusing on is healing his body and not reinjuring himself rather than answering questions straight away" Sakura replied acidly.

"He's right Sakura. I'm well enough to talk and tell you what happened. For all that you've done for me I guess it's the least I can do" Idate said and began to explain.

Idate told Team 7 that Aoi was once his sensei in the Hidden Leaf Village and had promised Idate that there was another way to become a Chunin as Idate had failed the exams for the first time and would have to wait to attempt them again. All he had to do was take two treasures from the village a special scroll and the Sword of the Thunder God. Once Idate had presented his sensei with the treasures it had been thrown back in his face and Aoi had told him they would have to go to the Rain Village for Idate to become a Chunin as there was no way he could return to the Hidden Leaf village after what he had done. The only one who had faith in him was Jirōchō who had given him the knife he held so dear.

"But a hell of a lot of good that all does me now I'm out of the race" Idate muttered clearly upset and angry.

"Like hell you are! You're still a Leaf Ninja even though you sensei betrayed you; you were too young to understand. We're still in this race to win it and I'll carry you on my back if I have to!" Naruto exclaimed pulling Idate up by his collar.

"Hn we'll need to leave now if you still want a shot in this thing" Sasuke said and Naruto nodded happily.

"Sakura-chan what do you think?" Naruto asked a little apprehensively.

"Medically this goes against everything I've ever been taught. But I guess if you carry him Naruto _and_ he keeps his leg in a splint that I'll make then I really can't stop you from trying" Sakura sighed.

"Alright we're in this race to win it!"

* * *

><p>Hi guys!<p>

Finals are over! Celebration time ^^ Here is the next chapter to the Land of Tea arch so let me know what you think of it :3 Now that University is done for the semester we are back to regular updates and things shall start to get complicated soon with the big question as to who will leave the village :P

Thanks again for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next week!


	40. Land of Tea Part 3

The Turning Point 

* * *

><p>"You need to be careful with Idate's leg Naruto and you can't be reckless" Sakura lectured as she and Sasuke helped secure Idate to Naruto's back.<p>

"I know Sakura-chan you've told me a hundred times already!" Naruto whined and grunted slightly as his teammates stepped away and Naruto took the full weight of the runner on his back.

"It's because you're so thick dobe that she has to say it more than once" Sasuke shot back a little harsher than necessary causing Sakura and Naruto to exchange confused looks.

"I'd like to see you carry him!"

"Hn I'd never be stupid enough to volunteer"

"Enough the both of you! Naruto the point is your job is to guard Idate and make sure he gets to the shrine safely. Sasuke and I will take care of any threats. Sasuke I don't know what your problem is but you need to cut it out, someone has to make sure Idate gets to the shrine and Naruto volunteered" Sakura spoke up preventing any further bickering between her teammates.

"Hn whatever" Sasuke replied monotone and picked up his travel bag.

"Sasuke you can't just say 'whatever' and just expect us to put up with it. If something is bothering you then you need to actually tell us" Sakura said trying to remain calm.

"What I need to do isn't determined by you Sakura. The only thing any of us needs to do is complete this mission" Sasuke replied coldly.

"Fine if that's how you're going to act then I'm not going to ask you anymore. Naruto you probably need to go now if Idate's to have any chance in this race" Sakura said ignoring Sasuke.

Before Naruto could respond Sakura had vanished to take up her position in the treetops. Idate looked between Sasuke and Naruto before snorting with derision. "Man you two are the absolute worse!"

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked sensing the humour at his expense and craned his neck to try and glare at Idate causing him to almost topple forward.

"Hey watch it will you? I mean you two and women; it has to been seen to be believed that's for sure!" Idate exclaimed and began laughing loudly.

"Hn are you trying to get yourself killed?" Sasuke asked glaring at the runner. "And what about us and women!?" Naruto demanded shifting Idate's weight.

"You're both completely hopeless, Naruto you're just an unending stream of annoyance that would send any respectable lady running for the hills and this guy over here has the emotional depth of a teaspoon! It's just too funny!"

"Listen you idiot I happen to know for a fact there are hundreds of girls in the Leaf Village just dying to get a hold of Naruto Uzumaki believe it! I'm just way too busy working on becoming Hokage to date!" Naruto sputtered quickly.

"Clearly this guy's weight on your back is making you delusional dobe now get going" Sasuke sighed in frustration and followed Sakura.

"HEY DID HE JUST CALL ME FAT?"

"I'M NOT DELUSIONAL TEME ALL THE GIRLS WANT ME!"

"CHA! IF YOU TWO DON'T GET A MOVE ON I'M GOING TO COME DOWN THERE AND BEAT IT OUT OF YOU!" 

* * *

><p>"All clear down here Sakura-chan. You and Teme see anything up there?" Naruto asked his teammates through the radio mike wired to his collar.<p>

"I can't sense any foreign chakra signals" Sakura replied through her microphone and adjusted the earpiece.

"Hn I stayed back a few metres to make sure we're not being followed. So far it looks clear" Sasuke's voiced crackled through.

"OH MAN!" Naruto yelled loudly through his microphone causing Sakura to wince in pain and pull out her earpiece.

"Was that really necessary?" Sasuke hissed through the mic.

"Oh right sorry. It's just this staircase is so big and I have to carry this guy all the way up it!?" Naruto whined.

From her positon above Sakura had to agree with her obnoxious teammate. The stairs seemed to stretch for miles but in the distance she could see the tall spire of the Modoroki Shrine.

"You're the one who was so excited to do this dobe" Sasuke said through the microphone and landed neatly on a tree branch a few metres away from where Sakura was crouched.

"There is a reason it's called the Spirit Breaker" Idate's voice crackled through followed by another groan from Naruto.

"There's no one tailing us at least not that I can see with the Sharingan" Sasuke said directly to Sakura.

"I'm not sensing any chakra signals either. But those masked guys from the boat were in the Chunin exams as well so I wouldn't put it passed them to try and pull something" Sakura replied curtly.

"They're not an issue for us anymore. Naruto took care of them" Sasuke said and his eyes hardened.

Before Sakura had a chance to respond a loud war cry could be heard from the bottom of the staircase. Hoisting Idate up on his back Naruto's eyes burned with steely determination as he charged up the stairs.

"Seriously where is he getting this energy?" Sakura grumbled. "No one even accused him of not having any" Sasuke commented and shot off after him.

_Naruto beat those three ninja alone? His development is astronomical and with everything Jiraiya is teaching him his abilities are only going become greater_, Sakura thought as she watched Sasuke disappear from view and worried about the future of Team 7.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Sasuke asked standing over Naruto who had collapsed face first at the top of the stairs just outside the entrance to the shrine.

"I told you teme he said something about wanting to finish the race himself and then he ran off" Naruto huffed pulling himself upright.

"Even with the medicine I gave him he won't be too far ahead of us because of his leg" Sakura said having caught up to her teammates and reached into her travel bag. "Unfortunately this map isn't exactly step by step on the direction we should take to get there"

"Why don't we just ask some members of his clan?" Naruto asked and began to look through the crowd of villagers.

"That probably isn't such a good idea, the rival family could accuse Idate's clan of cheating and that would jeopardise the race" Sakura said and her eyes widened as she looked at Sasuke. "Can you use your Sharingan?"

"Hn I can try and follow his chakra signal with the aid of the Sharingan. But I've never done it before" Sasuke replied.

"I don't think we have a lot of options here teme, we need to find this guy and quick!" Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke's eyes narrowed but nonetheless activated the bloodline jutsu.

After a moment of searching Sasuke's eyes focused on a bridge leading away from the shrine and into the mountains, able to sense the smallest trace of Idate's chakra Sasuke allowed his eyes to shift from blood red to onyx.

"Across that bridge, he's about 500 metres in front of us. Travelling slowly because of his leg" Sasuke said pointing out the bridge as subtly as he could.

Sakura nodded and made sure to nudge Naruto in the direction Sasuke had pointed out, there was no doubt in her mind that spies from both families were watching the trio looking for a chance to attack or sabotage

Quickly Team 7 made their way towards the bridge taking care to draw as little attention as possible. Making it past the bridge and deeper into the mountainous terrain Sakura quickly spotted the runner from the rival family nearing the end of an even bigger bridge which spanned the length of a huge gorge.

"Idate!" Naruto yelled and Team 7 watched as Idate was electrocuted by Aoi who was blocking the entrance to the bridge.

_He seems to be using some kind of sword powered by electricity_, _wait could that be the Blade of the Thunder Spirit? The one Idate stole from the Leaf Village for Aoi?_ Sakura thought as she watched the blade of light dissolve.

"Idate still alive I see, have to admit that's a bit of a surprise and the genin too. What a shame the poison was strong enough or perhaps the dosage wasn't high enough. Either way I suppose I'll make up for that mistake" Aoi said and activating the blade severed one of the rope ties to the bridge.

"Hey what are you doing!?" Idate demanded as Aoi turned and severed the other rope. Running towards Aoi in the hope of stopping him Idate was knocked back with a swing of the blade.

"You really think you stand a chance against me? I wield the Blade of the Thunder Spirit used by the Second Hokage himself. What do you have Idate that could possibly compare?" Aoi asked boastfully.

Two compacted balls of mud flew through the air, Aoi moved quickly to draw out his large umbrella which acted as a shield. As the mud fell onto the ground the violet eyed ninja smirked at the blond boy who had thrown it.

"Am I to engage in a mudslinging fight with children now?" Aoi mocked but Naruto stood his ground "Well I didn't have any kunai to throw so what exactly was I supposed to do!?"

"Stupid dobe could have borrowed some from us before charging in like a fool" Sasuke muttered.

"True but it's not like we were trying to hide out or anything, I suppose a full frontal attack is as good as any strategy not that we have one now. But the mud was a stupid idea" Sakura agreed.

"Guys I can hear you! How about a little moral support huh!?" Naruto whined and looked back at his teammates for encouragement.

"This is it!? This is your grand plan to beat Aoi, to throw a couple of mud balls at him and hope for the best!?" Idate demanded from his position on the ground.

"Gah! Not you too, why is everyone so quick to criticise me!?" Naruto asked unhappily before performing the Shadow Clone Justus sign. Immediately three clones appeared and one began moving its hands in a fast circle above the Naruto's outstretched palm, creating the Rasengan.

_What is he doing? Focusing all his chakra like that to the point where it's visible is incredible!_ Idate thought as he watched the clone's hands spin faster and faster and the ball of chakra grow larger in Naruto's hand.

"Right here I come!" Naruto exclaimed as two of his clones charged forward and were immediately destroyed by Aoi as was another who attempted to attack from above.

Through the white cloud of smoke of the destroyed clones Naruto burst forward and thrust his arm out containing the Rasengan which clashed against the stolen Blade of Thunder. Sakura and Sasuke watched closely as Naruto began to struggle against the blade and was eventually thrown back, the Rasengan completely destroyed.

"How is that even possible? That blade completely wiped his jutsu out" Sakura asked Sasuke in a low voice, the Uchiha boy shook his head in response.

"I suppose I should have mentioned there is nothing that can destroy the Blade of Thunder, chakra in any form is rendered useless to its power. Your ball of chakra though impressive might as well have been water to this blade" Aoi declared.

"In any case now that you're aware of what this blade can do I suppose it's time it served its purpose. I don't make the same mistake twice and this time I'll make sure the ground runs red with your blood. You first then Idate" Aoi said turning the blade to face the runner.

"Hn let's not play this game, there's three of us and only one of you" Sasuke said.

"Which means you'll be the one to remain here, dead" Sakura added pulling out her kunai and throwing one to Naruto who caught it with ease.

"How heroic, friends staying together to the bitter end one for all and all for one. Pathetic, it is disgusting to rely on the abilities of others to make up for the ones you lack on your own. It is interesting that someone of such high prestige as the great Uchiha clan would lower themselves to a team with these riff raff"

"Shut up! You don't know anything about friendship or teamwork you lowlife!" Naruto shot back and glared angrily at Aoi.

"Oh look I've upset the orange one, although I suppose he's right I don't. Neither do you Idate, always running away from your problems. Like the night I tortured your brother for information on the scroll you stole, running away like that although I suppose your dear brother did tell you to run didn't he. Only get in his way is what I recall him saying, I wonder how your brother is doing now. I hope those scars I gave him weren't permanent"

"Hey you jerk you better watch your mouth!" Naruto exclaimed and made a move to charge at Aoi once more.

The violet eyed traitor was already one step ahead and tossing his umbrella into the air caused a shower of senbon needles to pierce Naruto's flesh. Throwing a series of kunai Sakura was able to deflect some of the needles but the damage had already been done.

"The original point stands although there might be three of you, you are only mere genin and I wield the Blade of Thunder so if you'll kindly wait a few moments while I kill Idate it will be your turn to die soon enough" Aoi said with a sickening smile and moved to strike Idate.

The sound of thousands of birds chirping filled the air as the light from Sasuke's Chidori drew Aoi's attention away from Idate.

"Hn this will be interesting. My Chidori against the legendary Blade of Thunder" Sasuke smirked and swung his arm backwards.

"Sasuke what are you doing? Your Chidori is concentrated chakra same as Naruto's, that blade will slice clean through it" Sakura said watching Sasuke worriedly.

"The Chidori requires greater strength and skill to wield than the Rasengan" Sasuke replied simply and Sakura saw Naruto glare at Sasuke's angrily.

"Well well from the way you're talking it seems as if you believe you can beat me with your little jutsu. Let's see how great the last of the Uchiha clan is" Aoi mocked and Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he ran forward.

The mountainous terrain was covered in a blinding white light as Sasuke's Chidori clashed with the Blade of Thunder. Sasuke gritted his teeth as he felt the force of the blade hit his body, pushing the Chidori further.

Smiling the ex- Leaf ninja brought the full power of the blade down on Sasuke who struggled under the force. Within a few seconds Sasuke's jutsu was completely gone and like Idate the Uchiha boy was exposed to the full electric power of the blade.

Tossed onto the ground Sakura watched as her teammate stood up again wiping blood from his lip. Aoi began to chuckle loudly "Seems all that I heard about the last surviving Uchiha was true, you are a pathetic child unworthy of your bloodline abilities and the name Uchiha"

"Don't talk about me as if you know me. Take back what you said now" Sasuke said his voice taking on a completely different tone as the Chidori crackled to life again.

_What is he thinking? Can't he see that a direct attack with a build-up of chakra is completely useless?_ _That makes my chakra infused Tai jutsu attacks are completely useless too. How exactly are we going to get passed this guy and keep Idate competitively in the race? _ Sakura thought.

When it became clear that Aoi wasn't going to take back what he said Sasuke let out an angry roar and charged for the Thunder Blade again. Sakura could tell that the Uchiha boy wasn't thinking clearly, Naruto single handily taking on the Rain ninja and beating them as well as Aoi's insults to his clan and the unsettled matter with Itachi wouldn't be helping his mindset. They needed a plan and quickly.

Sasuke smirked in satisfaction; his jutsu had more power this time because he had activated the Sharingan. Aoi seemed surprised at the strength of the attack as well and quickly applied greater force behind the blade to ensure the Uchiha boy would not claim victory. The blade began to crack under the force of the Chidori and it seemed as though the entire weapon would shatter in seconds but as before the power of the Thunder Blade was too strong and Sasuke's attack dissolved leaving him completely open.

Aoi moved quickly and with a simple twist had ensnared Sasuke in the powerful electrical field of the Thunder Blade. Sasuke withered in pain as the light from the blade covered his body.

"As I thought, the last of the Uchiha is a great disappointment and a waste of my time" With a careless flick of his wrist Aoi lifted a now unconscious Sasuke into the air and threw him down the huge gorge and into the depths below. 

* * *

><p>Sakura froze as she watched Sasuke disappear from view before her mind threw her into action. "Naruto hold him off for as long as you can, I'll be back soon"<p>

"Right you got it Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied determined as ever. Aoi didn't try to stop Sakura as she ran past him with lightning speed and hurled herself over the cliff after Sasuke.

Sakura tried her best not to scream as she fell hundreds of feet after Sasuke towards a huge pool of water, even from the height she was falling at Sakura could tell the water wasn't deep enough and the jagged rocks protruding from the depth didn't instil much confidence.

Her mind suddenly remembered the fact that Sasuke had been thrown over the cliff a few moments after she had herself meaning he would hit the water first. Keeping her eyes trained on the Uchiha crest protruding from Sasuke's back, Sakura rummaged through her ninja bag until she found the kunai attached to a strong length of ninja wire. Making a sloppy loop with the rope and kunai Sakura threw the length of it down and manage to secure the loop around one of Sasuke's ankles.

_Great Haruno now you've got Sasuke you actually have to slow yourself down_, Sakura thought and recalled the lesson in chakra Kakashi had given Team 7. Focusing the chakra to her feet Sakura was able to (after a few moments of sliding down the rock face) finally stop herself and Sasuke from falling any further.

Gritting her teeth Sakura took a few moments to mentally assess her situation. She was now gripping the rope holding Sasuke dangling beneath her with only the chakra in her feet gripping the rock face holding her steady. Sakura sucked in a deep breath and pulled tighter on the rope, Sasuke weighed a lot more than she did and was inevitably causing the greatest struggled. Reaching once again into her pouch and taking care not to spill the contents Sakura withdrew a second kunai and looped the remaining end of the rope through it.

Assisted by a small amount of chakra to her hand Sakura managed to pull apart two heavy looking rocks and wedge the kunai in there which took the weight of the Uchiha boy, with the room to breathe a little Sakura had to move fast that kunai and rope wouldn't hold for much longer. Looking up above and taking care not to drop her teammate Sakura spied a rocky ledge that they just happened to miss whilst falling to their deaths.

"Of course, so typical the only safe place to land and I miss it completely" Sakura muttered and began the painstaking climb having removed the kunai and wrapped the rope around her wrist.

Using any form of chakra on her hands to assist in pulling herself up was out of the question given the precarious nature of the rock face; despite her chakra manipulation skills Sakura decided it was best not to risk it. Once again Sakura found herself feeling thankful for Lady Tsunade's punishing training regime as she gripped onto one rock and hauled herself up using another.

Wiping sweat from her forehead Sakura finally reached the ledge and pulled Sasuke up by the rope attached to his ankle. Glancing down at the rushing water bellow combined with the jagged rocks Sakura decided that the climb back up to the ledge wasn't all that painful. Sakura gently placed her hand against Sasuke's neck and felt a steady consistent pulse although the Uchiha prodigy showed no sign of waking.

Hearing the clash of kunai coming from the clearing above Sakura knew she had to get back up there to help Naruto protect Idate and get him to the finish line.

_Easier said than done how exactly am I supposed to get up there with Sasuke? I can't chakra punch my way out of this I'll destroy the whole cliff side and send us all to a pretty wet grave. I could always leave him down here on this ledge, no but then there's no telling what will happen to him! Right so I need to get myself and Sasuke back over the top of this cliff without destroying the surrounding area, great totally achievable_, Sakura thought sarcastically.

"Well reasonably speaking there is only one course of action. I need speed and power to propel myself over the cliff whilst potentially piggy backing my heavier than me teammate. I need chakra" Sakura declared speaking to no one in particular.

Pulling Sasuke over her back Sakura winced as she took on the extra weight, chakra to ones feet required correct balance and consistent flow in order to work which would be harder as with the extra weight Sakura was not as agile as before. Taking care to keep Sasuke well balanced Sakura made the necessary hand sign and felt the familiar rush of chakra to her feet. Focusing on keeping a firm and consistent balance on the flow Sakura took a few steps backward before charging forward at the rock face like she had done with Team 7 in the Land of Waves.

Noticing she had made it half way up the rock face Sakura smirked a little, if only Lady Tsunade could see her now. A muffled groan came from her back and the pink haired teen realised that Sasuke was slowly coming around.

_Dammit Sasuke of all the times to wake up_, Sakura though and willed herself forward seeing the top of the cliff in sight. She was less than a metre away when she felt the rocky surface beneath her starting to give way.

"Sakura? What are you doing?" Sasuke mumbled and lifted his head which caused Sakura to wobble a little bit before regaining her balance.

"Um Sasuke don't take this the wrong way but this would be a really great time for you to be unconscious again" Sakura said through gritted teeth and having slowed right down took a few precarious steps closer towards the cliff edge.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke snapped and opened his eyes to see the gigantic drop below, "Sakura why are we standing upright on the rock face of a cliff?"

"Probably because that weird umbrella guy threw you over it and then I jumped over too to go and get you and now the only way back up is chakra to the feet and you're making it really damn difficult by moving around so much!" Sakura exclaimed almost losing her footing for the second time.

"Hn, just put me down Sakura I'll get up there myself" Sasuke said a little annoyed and attempted to move again.

"Hey hey stop it! If you haven't realised we're at least a hundred feet from the ground standing horizontally in mid-air!" Sakura snapped.

"Well what exactly do you suggest we do to get out of this?" Sasuke shot back.

"Don't turn this around on me Sasuke I was doing fine until you woke up. In my travel bag there's the rope attached to a kunai that I used to stop you from falling, now that we're up far enough we can use it to wedge between one of those top rocks and pull ourselves up" Sakura replied trying to remain calm.

Realising the precariousness of their situation Sasuke manoeuvred himself quickly to undo Sakura's travel bag and remove the rope with the kunai attached to it. Seeing an open crevice between two solid looking rocks Sasuke threw the kunai with precision and managed to wedge it in. Tugging on the rope Sasuke quickly gave the end to Sakura who began to pull herself up. Feeling his strength returning the Uchiha boy channelled chakra to his feet and was able to climb up the rock face unassisted.

Sakura huffed but soon followed gathering the chakra in her feet and scaling the face of the cliff, making it onto solid ground Sakura quickly unhooked the rope. Sakura quickly surveyed the situation and let out an audible sigh of relief when Naruto came into view looking alive but exhausted. Aoi too seemed to register their presence but showed little sign of caring and instead charged up the Thunder Blade with his eyes fixed on Naruto.

"Sasuke! Sakura! You're okay!" The blonde boy exclaimed and Sakura raised her hand to confirm that fact.

"Don't think the arrival of your little friends changes anything, I'll destroy you and make sure they follow soon after" Aoi spat waving the blade around for emphasis which caught Sasuke's eye.

"That blade, before I was thrown over the cliff I heard it crack. There's a weak point and if it's hit again it'll probably shatter the whole blade" Sasuke whispered to Sakura as he kept his eyes trained on Aoi.

"You think Naruto will realise?" Sakura asked making sure to keep her voice low.

"Probably not. I don't know either way if that blade isn't destroyed then we have no chance at all of getting out of here" Sasuke replied.

"You're right. I don't think he's going to notice I mean I can't see anything either and we're roughly the same distance away from Aoi as he is. Do you remember which end of the blade you cracked?" Sakura whispered as Naruto and Aoi began exchanging words.

"Top corner I think. What are you going to do?" Sasuke asked. Naruto began gathering chakra to perform the Rasengan ignoring Aoi's aggressive taunts.

"This" Sakura replied as she too began gathering chakra to her fist. _If Naruto misses I'll destroy the blade myself but even if he does hit that crack Sasuke made then I'll punch this guy over the cliff, give him a taste of his own medicine. _

Naruto let out an almighty battle cry as he ran forward with the intent of finishing Aoi once and for all. A few moments after Naruto set off running Sakura did too, however she made sure to keep her movements as quiet as she could. Aoi seemed none the wiser his attention solely focused on Naruto, the infamous Thunder Blade paused ready to strike and annihilate.

Having gotten much closer to the blade than before Naruto immediately identified the crack and realised Sasuke had given him an opportunity to finish this fight once and for all. Quickly redirecting his attack Naruto forced the ball of chakra directly onto the crack and shattered the blade completely.

Aoi froze and gawked at the broken Thunder Blade and the power that the insulant blonde boy in front of him possessed in order to destroy it. However this moment of utter shock did not last long, in a fraction of a second the girl with pink hair Aoi had seen jump over the cliff after the Uchiha boy was standing right in front of him. The last thing Aoi saw was a fist surrounded by bright green chakra directed straight for his solar plexus.

Sakura watched triumphantly as Aoi's body sailed over the cliff to surely hit the jagged rocks and unsettled water below. Naruto grinned at her happily and Idate let out a huge sigh of relief, Sasuke too made his way over to the group however Sakura noticed he was deliberately avoiding making eye contact with Naruto.

"Alright that guy totally didn't stand a chance against us!" Naruto yelled and victory punched the air. Sakura laughed a little at the outburst and Idate shook his head completely amazed at how Team 7 had handled the situation.

"Hn Sakura, the race" Sasuke interrupted and Naruto gasped loudly. "Holy crap Idate we have to get you to that finish line!"

"How are we going to do that? Aoi took down the bridge across the cliff and that's the only way across" Idate said and Sakura had to admit he did have a point.

"I have an idea; one part of the rope is still attached. If we all climb on to that rope and then cut the end the perpetual motion should give us enough force to get to the other side of the cliff" Idate spoke up and Naruto nodded eagerly.

"That works for me let's do it" Sakura affirmed and within a few minutes all of Team 7 plus Idate were safely on the other side of the cliff.

"Okay let's get going we gotta beat that other guy and make sure Idate wins!" Naruto exclaimed 

* * *

><p>"There he is up ahead! Run Idate run!" Sakura called out from above as she, Sasuke and Naruto matched speed with Idate from their position in the trees above.<p>

Gritting his teeth Idate gathered his strength and shot forward like a rocket, seeing the rival runner from the opposing family up ahead only motivated him further. Determined to prove to Team 7 that he wasn't going to give up Idate willed himself on further and began to gain on Fukusuke.

"Come on Idate you're almost there!" Boss Jirocho called out from behind the white tape marking the finish line which was getting closer and closer.

Seeing he needed the extra motivation Team 7 began to call out words of encouragement and within a blink of an eye Idate had managed to sneak in front of Fukusuke by a few centimetres and had crossed the finish line. The crowd erupted into thunderous applause and Naruto joined them enthusiastically. Sasuke and Sakura exchanged tired looks of satisfaction from a job well done. Idate ran all the way into the shrine and placed the blue orb which represented his family down before collapsing on the floor in disbelief that he had won the race.

In a few moments Idate emerged from the shrine to greet the crowd and be presented as the winner of the race. Team 7 stood off to the side happy that Idate had completed the race for his family and that they had completed the mission successfully even without the assistance of Kakashi.

"Alright guys I guess that wraps things up. Time to head back to the Leaf Village and rub it in Kakashi-sensei's face that we don't need him!" Naruto grinned resting his hands behind his back oblivious to the exasperated looks Sakura and Sasuke exchanged.

"Hold it just one second. That's enough stop this ridiculous celebration!" A voice called out and Sakura turned to see the head of the rival family approaching the ceremony.

"What do you want?" Jirocho asked.

"It seems Idate was assisted for part of the leg of the race, he rode on the back of a hired ninja" The rival head explained venomously.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked. "Where exactly is the proof to back your allegation?" Sakura asked her eyes narrowing.

"I thought you might ask that so here take a look at this photograph" Pulling out a piece of paper from his cloak the rival family leader showed the photo to Jirocho along with Idate and Team 7.

"Contenders must make it through the whole race of their own volition and strength. That means Fukusuke is the real winner and not Idate"

"You can't do that. There was nothing in the rule book we were given about accepting assistance" Sakura piped up ignoring the dirty looks the family head was giving her.

"She is right of course, there is no such rule. The Wasabi family are well within their rights to retain this win. Perhaps the Wagarashi are so keen to pronounce themselves the winners to hide the bribes they have been accepting, wouldn't you say?" The lord of the Land of Tea stepped forward and produced a photo which depicted the head of the Wagarashi dealing bribes.

"B-But" The head of the family began to protest with no avail.

"You can't honestly expect me to declare you the winners simply because you wish it. Not to mention the actions of violence and extortion reported to me by several people of the Port. From this day forth the Wagarashi family is no more" The lord declared and the crowd cheered even louder than before.

Sasuke moved unsteadily on his feet still quite shaken from the battle with Aoi, despite everything that had occurred Sakura still wrapped an arm around Sasuke and led him gently towards the dock. Naruto followed behind scrutinising his two teammates together, Idate ran to catch up with the blonde boy and chuckled to himself when he realised what Naruto was fixated on.

"Don't worry kid you'll get it one day. Anyway I'm here to see you all back to the boat safely, the Leaf Village sent an envoy to collect you and one of the officials said my brother might be on board!" Idate exclaimed and Sakura turned.

"Really Idate that's wonderful to be able to see your brother again after all this time" she said smiling genuinely.

"Not to mention you can explain everything that happened with that Aoi guy" Naruto added as an afterthought.

"Right I'll make sure he knows, hey Sakura what's wrong?" Idate asked as he saw the pink haired girl freeze in her spot.

"Hn Sakura what are you looking at?" Sasuke asked as he watched his teammate scanning the crowds in front of them.

Team 7 and Idate had just entered the now bustling market place when Sakura had seen it.

A neatly swept back bun full of cherry blossom pink hair.

Unmistakeable.

Then as quickly as she had seen it, the woman with the cherry pink hair disappeared back into the crowd. Sakura vaguely registered Sasuke and Naruto's voices but her mind was completely transfixed.

Her mother was here, in the Land of Tea searching for her father. Sakura needed to find her there was no question.

"Naruto take Sasuke and get him back on the boat to the Leaf Village his wounds need to be taken care of properly. Tell Tsunade to examine him herself" Sakura muttered and pushed Sasuke gently in Naruto's direction.

"Sakura where are you going?" Sasuke asked panic seeping into his voice. "Sakura-chan we need to go home!" Naruto exclaimed.

But Sakura simply blocked them out and moved forward through the crowd at a frantic pace. One minute Sasuke saw his teammate's bright pink hair and the next she was gone.


End file.
